London, 9 December 2025– lomarlabs, the venture catalyst created by Lomar, announced it is collaborating with Advanced Wing Systems to advance the adaptation of proven sail technology into a containerised, automated system, designed for global merchant shipping.
Advanced Wing Systems is a pioneer of semi-rigid wing sails, offering many of the aerodynamic advantages of rigid wings but with fewer operational constraints. Its sails have powered yachts across thousands of nautical miles of ocean and even supported America’s Cup racing campaigns.
Today, Advanced Wing Systems is scaling that same DNA of performance and practicality, for vessels that move the world’s cargo, with the support of lomarlabs and Lomar.
While traditional wind-assist technologies require heavy retrofits and dry dock installation, Advanced Wing Systems is pursuing an adapted and containerised, modular approach for commercial shipping. Once deployed from a standard 40-foot container, its collapsible wing sails use artificial intelligence (AI) to optimise the wing sail for the precise wind conditions. The sails can then be retracted when not in use, ensuring no interference with port operations.
This flexibility allows shipowners to trial wind propulsion without permanent and costly vessel modifications. They can lease the new Advanced Wing Systems’ solution, much like they would lease cold-ironing transformers or portable diesel generators for their other operational needs.
Through this collaboration, Advanced Wing Systems will not only gain hands-on expertise from lomarlabs in design, regulation, and business model validation, it will also have access to the Lomar fleet of vessels, for a real-time maritime operational environment in which to test and develop its innovations. Together, this collaboration creates the pathway for this new technology to advance from concept to commercial reality.
Greg Johnston, Co-Founder & CEO, Advanced Wing Systems, said: “Containerisation changes the game for wind propulsion. It means shipowners can trial this system without the need to take their vessel out of trading, without capital risk, and without compromising operations. For the first time, wind technology can adapt to the needs of commercial shipping rather than the other way around.”
Greg Johnston, Co-Founder and CEO of Advanced Wing Systems
"For the first time, wind technology can adapt to the needs of commercial shipping rather than the other way around."
Stylianos Papageorgiou, Managing Director of lomarlabs
"Advanced Wing Systems shows that practical, modular and commercially viable solutions can accelerate decarbonisation in ways that work for shipowners and charterers, not just regulators."
Stylianos Papageorgiou, Managing Director, lomarlabs, said: “At lomarlabs, we help founders turn bold ideas into working, scalable solutions. Without an agreement for a global carbon tax on ship emissions, the business case for shipowners to adopt efficiency solutions only supports those technologies that deliver a return on investment from the fuel savings they generate. Advanced Wing Systems represents exactly that kind of breakthrough: practical, modular, and commercially viable. This is about more than technology; it’s proving that decarbonisation can be achieved in ways that work for shipowners and charterers, not just regulators.”
Nicholas Georgiou, CEO of Lomar, said: “Our industry is focused on the need to merge the realities of performance, profitability, efficiency and sustainability, but often doesn’t know how to join the dots. This innovative solution from Advance Wing Systems could be a game-changer for commercial shipping. It has the potential to transform the way that vessels use clean energy to reduce emissions without any CapEx and without hindering cargo operations.”
Nick Georgiou, CEO of Lomar
