Previous
Next

01

Retractable bow foils

STATE OF THE ART BOW FOIL TECHNOLOGY

Wavefoil has developed retractable bow foils that provide significant fuel savings, reduced motions and a more comfortable experience at sea.​

Combining a smart retraction mechanism with the use of light but strong composite materials, Wavefoil has brought wave propulsion to the market.

Exploiting the potential of wave energy

It has been known for over 150 years that vessels with wings – or foils – in the bow can be partly or solely propelled by wave energy. The foils generate lift when the vessel is moving up and down in waves, and the lift typically has a forward thrust component larger than the drag.

Put simply, wave power is directly converted into propulsive power.

A vessel in waves experiences additional resistance compared to calm-water operation. For wave lengths similar to the hull length, this additional resistance will be amplified due to resonance, implying large heave and pitch motions. Wavefoil’s retractable bow foils dampen these motions so that the additional resistance decreases.

So how much fuel can you save? That depends on the ship, its speed, the foil size and location, and the wave conditions.

Fuel saving for suitable ships is in the range of 5-15%.

Saving fuel is not the only benefit of bow foils. Increased comfort, reduced vibrations, less spray, increased operability and the ability to maintain higher speeds in waves for a given power are some other perspectives.

02

References

MF Teistin

MS Bard

MS Thea Jensen

MS Rosesol

MS Roseflora

HSC Krilo Lux

MS Liafjord

MS Ro Spirit

TBN (AQS)

03

Concept designs

Crew Transfer Vessel

Emergency Response & Rescue Vessel

Expedition Vessel

Live Fish Carrier

Longliner

Explorer Yacht

04

PR & Media

05

About us

Administrative

Bente Storhaug Dahl

Chief Executive Officer
Bente holds a Master's degree in Business and Strategy (Siviløkonom) from NHH. Bente has extensive leadership experience from the maritime industry, finance, and consulting. She has held several positions in Equinor, was CFO and later CEO at Brude Safety, and Managing Director Scandinavia at Survitec Group. Her latest position before joining Wavefoil in January 2022 was CEO at Luminell Group.

Sales

Stig Kile Gjelsten

Sales Director
stig@wavefoil.com
Stig holds a Master's degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from NTH (today NTNU). He has extensive experience from the maritime industry, with roles such as Technical Director at Aker Brattvaag; Executive Director, Projects and Development at Aker Tulcea SA; Executive Director, Projects at Aker Braila SA; Vice President, Sales and Marketing at Vard and COO at Havyard Group. Stig joined Wavefoil in April, 2022.

Technical

Eirik Bøckmann

Head of Hydrodynamics & Founder
Eirik holds a Master's degree and a PhD degree in Marine Technology from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). His PhD thesis, titled Wave Propulsion of Ships, studies the effect of bow foils by means of simulations and towing tank tests. After obtaining his PhD, Eirik continued to explore the benefits of bow foils as a Postdoctoral Researcher at NTNU.

Erlend Vastveit

Chief Technical Officer
Erlend holds a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, and a Bachelor's degree in Social Economics from NTNU. He began working as a Product Developer for Wavefoil in August 2018. Erlend came to Wavefoil after two years as a project manager for Ekornes. He also has relevant experience from subsea engineering, and as Head of Suspension for the student formula car NTNU Revolve.

Amund Bertheussen

Software Developer / Analyst
Amund holds a Master's degree in Applied Physics from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Started at Wavefoil as an intern in June 2021, and became a full-time Wavefoiler in August 2022.

Audun Yrke

Chief Innovation Officer & Founder
Audun submitted his Master's thesis in Marine Technology at NTNU in 2017 and subsequently started working as CTO of Wavefoil AS. He is the inventor of Wavefoil's retractable foil mechanism and has been involved in developing retractable bow foils since the autumn of 2015.

Rasmus Bjørlykke

Automation Engineer
Rasmus holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from HiST. Before joining Wavefoil in May 2021, he was working for Optimar as a System & Control Engineer, and before this as Project Engineer IAS & PMS in Vard Electro.

Board

Sven Kolstø

Chairman of the Board
Sven holds a Master's degree in Industrial Economics from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology(NTNU). Sven joined Wavefoil's board of directors in 2018 and has been Chairman of the Board since July 2022. Sven has long experience in business development from CoFounder AS, and is currently CEO for OptoScale. Sven's main contributions to the board are finances, leadership, negotiations, and team composition.

Jan Petter Hagen

Board member
Jan Petter is currently CEO and managing partner at Converto AS. Jan Petter's main contributions to the board are market insights, market strategy, network, and finances.

Eirik Bøckmann

Board member
Eirik is not only a board member at Wavefoil, but also the founder and Head of Hydrodynamics. Eirik's contribution to the board is technology insights, innovation, sales, and strategy.

Kjerstin K. Braaten

Board member
Kjerstin is currently SVP for the aquaculture department at Aker Solutions ASA. Kjerstin\s main contributions to the board are market insights, market strategy, network, and leadership.

Ole Gunnar Hvamb

Board member
Ole Gunnar has former been the EVP at Kongsberg Maritime and he has also been the chairman of the board at Wavefoil. Ole Gunnar's main contributions to the board are leadership, network, industry insights, and contract experience.

06

Contact

Visitor address

Ålesund office

c/o Norwegian Maritime Competence Center
Borgundvegen 340
6009 Ålesund
Norway

Oslo office

c/o House of Business
Hoffsveien 1A
0275 Oslo
Norway

Bergen office

Kvassnesvegen 52
5914 Isdalstø
Norway

Postal address /
Invoice address

Wavefoil AS
c/o Norwegian Maritime Competence Center
Borgundvegen 340
6009 Ålesund
Norway

Org nr 917 810 508

News

career

We have currently have no vacant positions.

SUPPORTed by

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101010259