Sources indicated on 4 November 2026 that NAPA has urged the industry to demand independent proof of fuel and time savings from wind-assisted propulsion systems rather than rely solely on contractual allocation. The report noted BIMCO’s recent adoption of an Energy Saving Device Retrofit Addendum in Autumn 2026, designed to give owners and charterers a framework for sharing retrofit costs, time and fuel savings under time charters.
NAPA’s message, carried by the reports item, stresses that agreement on paper is not the same as verified performance at sea. The organisation argued that verification of savings is essential if wind-assist technologies are to win broader acceptance among owners and charterers, the report said.
BIMCO’s addendum was highlighted as a practical development intended to address one of the sector’s persistent contractual barriers. According to the report, the addendum provides a mechanism by which owners and charterers can agree how upfront retrofit costs, any changes to voyage time and the distribution of fuel savings are shared during a time charter.
A contractual framework
The Energy Saving Device Retrofit Addendum offers parties a standardised contractual route to allocate responsibility and benefit when an owner installs an energy saving device under a charter. The reports account described the addendum as a way to create clearer commercial terms for retrofit schemes during time charters.
For wind-assisted propulsion systems the addendum is intended to target an obstacle commonly cited for slow uptake, the report noted. The document cited the addendum’s role in creating shared expectations between owners and charterers, while NAPA underlined that contractual clarity must be matched by measurable savings.
Proof versus promise
NAPA’s position, as presented in the report, is that owners and charterers need verifiable evidence that a retrofit delivers the fuel and time savings anticipated before they rely on contractual allocation alone. The organisation emphasised that practical proof of performance is a separate requirement from agreeing how savings will be split.
The report framed this distinction as central to wider acceptance of wind-assist technology. It suggested that contractual tools such as BIMCO’s addendum are important but insufficient unless they are accompanied by robust verification of in-service performance, according to the account in reports.
Industry uptake of retrofit measures has been discussed in many quarters as owners, charterers and technology suppliers seek workable commercial solutions. The reports piece places the new BIMCO addendum and NAPA’s insistence on verified savings in that continuing conversation, reflecting the differing emphases of contractual certainty and measured return.
The report on 4 November 2026 therefore set out two linked developments: a new standard contractual route to share costs and benefits of energy-saving retrofits under time charters, and a call from NAPA for confirmed, demonstrable savings to underpin commercial commitments to wind-assisted systems. The two ideas were presented as complementary but distinct components of any credible pathway to wider adoption.
The reports item remains the source for these points and the date of publication was 4 November 2026. The report places BIMCO’s Autumn 2026 adoption of the Retrofit Addendum and NAPA’s comments alongside one another, signalling that both contractual innovation and transparent, verified performance will be central to debates about retrofitting wind-assist solutions in the months ahead.