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(Tumba, Sweden), developer of composites-intensive wing sails for installation on shipping vessels to provide wind-based propulsion, is making progress toward the first demonstrator installation of its technology.

Oceanbird is a joint venture between Alfa Laval and shipping company Wallenius (Stockholm, Sweden), founded in December 2021. According to its website, Oceanbird says that its 560-square-meter Wing 560 is a multi-material, aerodynamic structure comprising a main sail and a flap, and is able to fold and tilt for passing under bridges or entering harbors.

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The structure is reported to be manufactured from a combination of glass fiber-reinforced composites, recycled PET and high-strength steel, and is attached to a 40-meter-tall steel mast. The Wing 560 is designed for installation either on an existing or new vessel, as either the main propulsion or as a support.

Oceanbird is part of the , which aims to create two demonstrator shipping vessels outfitted with Oceanbird wing sail systems.

The first demonstrator is a one-wing retrofit onto the existing Wallenius Wilhelmsen roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) shipping vessel Tirrana, which is expected to be ready to sail in 2025 and is anticipated to achieve efficiency gains of 50% compared to traditional vessels.

In May 2025, at its testing center in Landskrona, Sweden.

According to and , Comaxel Sp. z o.o. (GoÅ‚dap, Poland) manufactured the composite main leading edge and flaps for the prototype wing sail. Comaxel says its journey with Oceanbird began in July 2021 starting with development of the wing sail’s main leading edge, which was completed in November 2023. A prototype for a flap cross-section was completed in December 2024, requiring Comaxel to build specialized equipment for manufacturing the part and for loading it onto the truck for transport.

Comaxel is a fabricator specializing in advanced composite manufacturing for the marine, aerospace and green technology industries – including very large carbon fiber- or glass fiber-reinforced epoxy parts. For example, the company’s portfolio includes 35-meter-tall, 5-meter-diameter composite rotor sails for Norsepower (Helsinki, Finland).

, the full 14 x 4 meter wing sail structure is completed and undergoing testing at Oceanbird’s test center, expected to be ready for installation on board the Tirranna soon.