Newbuild Bulk Carrier to Get Tilting ‘Rotor Sails’

Finnish wind propulsion company Norsepower says it has received an order to install its innovative “Rotor Sails” onboard a newbuild ship for the first time.

The agreement calls for the installation five tilting Rotor Sails on board a large bulk carrier under construction. The company says the installation will mark the first time that five Rotor Sails have been installed on a single ship, the first for the bulk carrier segment, and the first newbuild installation.

Norsepower’s Rotor Sails are a type of modernized flettner rotor, a century-old technology that uses a spinning cylinder and the magnus effect for supplemental wind propulsion. The company says their use has been proven to reduce fuel consumption by as much as 20 percent, depending on the wind conditions and vessel route.

The company says preparations are underway for the newbuild installation and delivery of the vessel is scheduled for 2021. The owner of the newbuild was not identified.

The newbuild announcement follows an agreement between Norsepower and Ro-Ro operator SEA-CARGO for the first installation of the first tiltable Rotor Sail. The company says that tilting the Rotor Sails allows for more flexibility, including for vessels operating on routes that involve navigating under bridges and power lines. The 35-meter tall by 5-meter wide Rotor Sails, the largest ever installed by Norsepower, will be able tilt to near horizontal when required and could result in energy savings of up to 25 percent.

Launched in 2012, Norsepower Rotor Sails have now been installed onboard four vessels, including the latest installation on the Scandlines’ vessel M/V Copenhagen. The Sea-Cargo installation will mark the fifth installation expected in Q4 2020.

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