Vale to Install Rotor Sails on World’s Largest Ore Carrier

Brazilian mining company Vale S.A. has announced its plans to install five Rotor Sails on the world’s largest ore carrier.

The agreement between Vale and Anemoi Marine Technologies, a supplier of wind-assisted propulsion technology, will involve the installation of five 35-meter-tall cylindrical folding sails on the M/V Sohar Max, a 400,000 dwt “Valemax” Very Large Order Carrier (VLCO) owned by Omani shipowner Asyad. The system allows the sails to be folded from a vertical position to minimize their impact on air draught and cargo handling operations. Installation is expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2024.

Rotor Sails, also known as “Flettner Rotors,” are vertical cylinders that harness wind power to provide additional forward thrust and improve the energy efficiency of vessels, resulting in significant reductions in carbon emissions.

Vale’s fleet of Valemax vessels typically operate on deep-sea routes between Brazil, China, and the Middle East, which are ideal for wind propulsion. The use of Anemoi Rotor Sails is expected to achieve significant fuel and emission savings, with an expected 6% reduction in fuel consumption and a decrease of up to 3,000 tons of CO2 equivalent emissions per ship annually.

“Wind energy will play a central role in our strategy to decarbonise the maritime transportation of iron ore,” said Rodrigo Bermelho, Vale’s Shipping Technical Manager.

Anemoi’s COO, Nick Contopoulos, said the collaboration marks an important milestone in Vale’s decarbonization efforts, utilizing wind assisted propulsion to enhance vessel energy efficiency and reduce net emissions.

Vale is not new to Rotor Sail technology. In 2021, the company installed five tilting Rotor Sails supplied by Norsepower Oy on a newbuild VLOC under charter. Vale also has plans retrofit an existing capesize bulk carrier under charter from Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) with two Norsepower rotor sails, with installation expected in the first half of 2024.

Anemoi has established a supply chain in China for manufacturing and delivering Rotor Sails, collaborating with CSSC Chengxi, Lianyungang Zhongfu Lianzhong Composite Material Group, CRRC Corporation, and SaierNico Electric & Automation.

Vale has also appointed Anemoi to provide comprehensive technical services, including vessel integration design, plan approval support, project management, onsite supervision, onboard training, and after-sales services.

Lloyd Register will award the classification for the project and provide services related to equipment design approval and plan approvals for vessel integration.

The project builds on Anemoi’s successful retrofit of three Rotor Sails with Rail Deployment Systems on an 82,000 dwt Kamsarmax bulk carrier in June 2023, which yielded over 10% average annual savings according to initial data.

Rotor Sails are increasingly favored by ship owners seeking net-zero technologies to enhance vessel energy efficiency and meet international emission reduction targets, including EEDI/EEXI and the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII).

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