Scandlines to Install Norsepower Rotor Sail On Board Ferry

An illustration showing the MV Copenhagen fitted with the large-sized Norsepower Rotor Sail, which will measure 30m in height and 5m in diameter. Image courtesy Scandlines

European ferry operator Scandlines has signed an agreement to install Norsepower’s rotor sails on board one of its passenger ferries operating between Germany and Denmark.

The wind propulsion technology will help the ferry, the hybrid-powered MV Copenhagen, further reducing its carbon emissions. The ferry already operates on a combination of diesel and battery power while operating between Rostock in Germany and Gedser in Denmark.

The Norsepower Rotor Sail Solution is a proven, modernized version of the Flettner rotor, a spinning cylinder that uses the Magnus effect to harness wind power for supplemental thrust. Depending on prevailing wind conditions, the Rotor Sail will enable the ferry’s electric thrusters to be throttled back, reducing emissions.Because the Rotor Sails generate supplementary thrust from wind, the technology is compatible with all other emission-saving technologies already in use.

Scandlines says the solution is ideal because the route between Gedser and Rostock is almost perpendicular to the prevailing wind from west.

Preparations for the retrofit are expected to take place in November with installation for Q2.
“By installing a Rotor Sail, we can reduce CO2 emissions on the Rostock-Gedser route by four to five percent,” commented Scandlines CEO Søren Poulsgaard Jensen.

Scandlines operates eight ferries on two high-capacity ferry routes between Denmark and Germany. Since 2013, the company has invested more than EUR 300 million in building and retrofitting its fleet from conventional diesel-driven to hybrid ferries.

As a leading clean technology and engineering company, we are proud to be partnering with Scandlines as we work towards a modern era of auxiliary wind propulsion for the global maritime fleet, while supporting shipping’s transition to a low-carbon future,” said NorsePowere CEO, Tuomas Riski,

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