Our Way 1
MEET THE TEAM PER TUNELL COO Wallenius Marine ROL
E: TO GUIDE THE PROJECT TOWARDS THE VISION AND COMMUNICATE OCEANBIRD TO EXTERNAL PARTIES. As a naval architect, working with sustainability in Wallenius for over 10 years, this project is truly a dream! It is really aiming at Wallenius’s ambitious vision and it is full of engineering challenges. Communicating this project and our ambitions to external parties and getting their feedback really encourages us to continue on the path we have already chosen. Shipping plays a significant role in how our society is built, but it is also a large contributor to harmful emissions. We’ve made a decision – we will lead the way towards truly sustainable shipping, and we will contribute to transforming the shipping industry. With Oceanbird, we take a leap towards that vision. We’re cutting emissions by 90% compared to best-in-class vessels of today. At Wallenius Marine we’ve been pushing the sustainability agenda for decades and it’s been challenging at times, but in the last few years we’ve seen a growing demand for sustainable solutions. Introducing something completely revolutionary like this will of course challenge our habits. This vessel will be an odd bird in the beginning and may not fit perfectly in today’s transport systems. But the support we are getting from key stakeholders – like operators, cargo owners, ports and authorities – is overwhelming. CARL-JOHAN SÖDER Naval Architect Wallenius Marine ROLE: THE INITIATOR AND PROJECT MANAGER OF OCEANBIRD In parallel to a strong shipping interest, I’ve always been very interested in high-performance sailing craft and closely followed the development in high-tech sailing classes like the America’s Cup. So for me, to design something like Oceanbird, which merges cutting-edge sailing technology into the world of commercial shipping, is extremely rewarding both on a personal and professional plane. And also, to see the enthusiasm from our kids, discussing how this development helps giving them a better planet, is absolutely rewarding on a new level. Back in 2017, when the design was still in the conceptual stage, we could sense that there was already a special buzz around the Oceanbird project. We noted that even people normally not into ship design were showing an unusually great interest in the concept. Already then, we could feel we were on to something big. In 2019, the prospect of transforming Oceanbird from a vision into reality grew further when more and more important stakeholders, both within and outside Wallenius Marine, endorsed the project and joined forces with the core team. Now I’m longing to see the ultimate realization of Oceanbird and see her being built in a shipyard. But beyond that, it’s my hope and belief that this isn´t limited to just a few vessels; in 10 years’ time I’d like to see 100 Oceanbirds and in 20 years I hope that the Oceanbird concept is used in the majority of global deep sea shipments. To be part of this, which could well become the biggest shipping revolution of our lifetimes, is of course extremely inspiring. It keeps us going and our minds busy day and night. 10 OUR WAY