NAPA, the global provider of maritime software and data services, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI), one of the world’s leading shipbuilders and a pioneer in advanced, eco-efficient vessel, smart ship and autonomous technologies.

The two companies plan to jointly conduct performance analysis based on actual operational data for vessels equipped with Samsung Heavy Industries’ wind-assisted propulsion device, the ‘SAVER Wing’. The SAVER Wing is a rigid two-element wing sail installed on the deck of a vessel. It is an eco-friendly propulsion system that generates additional thrust by utilizing wind energy. By applying the aerodynamic principles of aircraft wings, the system converts wind energy into forward thrust, thereby reducing the engine power required for propulsion and contributing to lower fuel consumption and carbon emissions.

By modelling the performance of this vessel design in the specific voyage and weather conditions they will operate, based on actual operational data, SHI can offer shipowners more accurate efficiency projections that go beyond standard design-stage assumptions. This provides shipowners with earlier, tailored insight for better informed decarbonization planning and investments.

The MoU also outlines SHI’s aims to integrate NAPA Voyage Optimization into its Samsung Autonomous Ship (SAS) platform, embedding fuel-efficient routing directly into how its vessels are operated. NAPA Voyage Optimization is a decision-support tool that empowers ship operators to plan and adjust voyages for maximum efficiency, safety, and regulatory compliance. This integration with SAS would mean the same quality of insight that informed a vessel’s design continues to guide how it is operated, helping owners and crews realize the full efficiency potential of the vessel. Crews can simulate and assess various routes and speed profiles, dynamically adjusting the vessel’s course to harness favorable wind conditions, helping maximize fuel savings and minimize emissions.

At the same time, SHI plans to use NAPA’s ‘Operational Simulation’ to implement digital twins of all ship equipment and predict the actual performance of the ship, enabling efficiency verification from the initial stage of design.

This MoU builds on a joint project already underway between NAPA and SHI which started in May 2026, focused on SHI’s SAVER Wing designs. That work gave SHI direct experience of what NAPA’s solutions can deliver and forms the practical foundation for the MoU’s broader, multi-year framework.

Hyun Joe Kim, Executive Vice President at Samsung Heavy Industries, said: “Our customers are under more pressure than at any point in my career. They need vessels that will remain competitive and compliant for the next 25 years, and they need confidence in the efficiency data before they sign the contract. Being able to model a specific design against real operating conditions, early in the process, is a genuine advantage. We chose NAPA because they have the tools, design expertise and data legacy to do this well.”

Pekka Pakkanen, Executive Vice President, Shipping Solutions, at NAPA, said: “Shipowners are being asked to make multi-million, multi-year capital commitments without enough information on what this investment actually looks like. With this partnership, SHI will be able to answer shipowners’ questions and show exactly how their SAVER Wing solution will perform at sea. That bridge between design and operations is what shipowners have needed, and working with SHI gives us the best possible platform to provide that.

“NAPA has done a lot of work in quantifying and modelling the benefits of combining voyage optimization with wind-assisted propulsion. What we are doing differently with SHI is outlining those benefits much earlier at the design stage.”

Source: NAPA