First bulk carrier installation will utilise five tiltable Rotor Sails to maximise reduction of carbon emissions

HELSINKI – 15 December 2020: Norsepower Oy Ltd., the leading global provider of auxiliary wind propulsion systems, today announced its first newbuild order – for the installation of a record five tilting Rotor Sails on board a large bulk carrier.

The agreement heralds the first installation of Norsepower’s innovative Rotor Sails on a bulk carrier, demonstrating the adaptability of the technology to reduce fuel consumption, fuel costs and reduce emissions across a variety of vessel types. Preparations are currently taking place with the installation onboard, the owner of which preferring to remain anonymous at this stage, scheduled for 2021.

The announcement follows soon after an agreement between Ro-Ro operator SEA-CARGO and Norsepower for the first the installation of the world’s first tiltable Rotor Sail, showcasing the innovative design adaptations that can be made for individual vessel requirements.

With 2030 and 2050 IMO GHG emission targets driving the shipping industry to decarbonise, today’s announcement again reflects the Rotor Sails adaptability as a means of greatly reducing GHG and other emissions on new-builds as well as retrofits. It also underlines the technology’s ability to drastically cut emissions on any vessel type, and with any fuel. Harnessing wind to generate thrust and reduce both fuel consumption and emissions has been demonstrated as a viable and current option, with achievable, and typical, savings of 5 – 20%, depending on the wind conditions and vessel route. Recent case studies demonstrate savings of up to 25%.

Commenting on the latest order, Tuomas Riski, CEO, Norsepower, said:

“We are thrilled to be installing five tilting Rotor Sails onboard not only the first Norsepower newbuild order, but also the first bulk carrier. Installing the Rotor Sails on the first bulk carrier demonstrates that our technology is adaptable for both retrofits and newbuild vessels, and across varied operational profiles and vessel types. The Rotor Sails can improve a vessel’s Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) and future-proof vessels against impending IMO GHG regulations. There is incredible value in using wind propulsion, particularly as it is a solution available now with proven results. We look forward to seeing the Rotor Sails in action next year.”

The Norsepower Rotor Sail Solution – which can be installed on new vessels or retrofitted on existing ships – is a modernized version of the Flettner rotor, a spinning cylinder that uses the Magnus effect to harness wind power to thrust a ship.

The Norsepower Rotor Sail is the first third-party verified and commercially operational auxiliary wind propulsion technology for the global maritime industry. The solution is fully automated and detects whenever the wind is strong enough to deliver fuel and emission savings, at which point the Rotor Sails start automatically. This will be the sixth installation of the Norsepower Rotor Sails and the first on a bulk carrier.

Images courtesy of Norsepower