Norsepower Oy Ltd., the leading global provider of auxiliary wind propulsion systems, and SEA-CARGO, leading logistics provider in the North Sea market, today announced an agreement to install two of Norsepower’s largest Rotor Sails onboard the SC Connector, a side door Ro-Ro. The agreement also heralds the installation of the world’s first tiltable Rotor Sail, showcasing the innovative design adaptations that can be made for individual vessel requirements, the company said in its release.
The SC Connector, a 12,251 gross tonne (GT) Ro-Ro cargo vessel operates in the North Sea, which allows for some of the most favourable wind conditions for Rotor Sails. The routes involve navigating under multiple bridges and powerlines which require the Rotor Sails to have a tilting function. Working in tandem, Norsepower and SEA-CARGO combined their expertise to develop the 35m high and 5m wide Rotor Sails to enable them to tilt to almost horizontal when required.
The Norsepower Rotor Sail Solution - which can be installed on new vessels or retrofitted on existing ships - is a modernised version of the Flettner rotor, a spinning cylinder that uses the Magnus effect to harness wind power to thrust a ship. Preparations for the retrofit on the SC Connector are currently taking place with the installation scheduled for Q4 2020.
With growing international and public pressure on the maritime industry to move towards decarbonisation, the ability to harness the wind to generate thrust, reduce fuel consumption and emissions, is a natural next step for the maritime transport industry. Norsepower has analysed the routes for the SC Connector and estimates that its technology would be able to achieve a carbon emissions reduction of 25% for this vessel.
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.
ABOUT NORSEPOWER
Norsepower Oy Ltd is a Finnish clean technology and engineering company pioneering modern auxiliary wind propulsion for the global maritime industry. Norsepower’s Rotor Sail Solution is a proven, low-maintenance, easy to use, and reliable fuel saving technology, supporting the decarbonisation of the shipping industry. Since its establishment in 2012, Norsepower has generated more than €20 million of funding and has now installed Rotor Sails onboard four vessels, including the latest installation on the Scandlines M/V Copenhagen. Each installation has made significant reductions to fuel costs and emissions, confirmed by independent verifiers such as ABB, NAPA and Lloyd’s Register. Other shipowners, charterers, and shipyards have been convinced of Rotor Sail technology’s benefits and are taking steps to study the technical and economic feasibility of wind propulsion on their fleet based on these positive results.