Kongsberg Maritime (KM) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the leading global provider of auxiliary wind propulsion systems, Norsepower Oy Ltd. The collaboration between these industry leaders will facilitate the addition of wind propulsion to KM’s integrated power and propulsion systems, according to the company's release.
Under the MoU, ship owners and shipyards will be able to choose between fully integrated systems, or solutions incorporating stand-alone products. Firmly focused on sustainability and efficiency, KM already delivers comprehensive integrated equipment packages comprising advanced propellers, power management, energy optimisation, propulsion drive train products, power take off and take in (PTO/PTI) systems, and energy storage. By teaming up with Norsepower, KM adds wind propulsion to its portfolio of strategies to facilitate greener operations, aided by its innovative controllable pitch propeller (CPP) solutions, which can easily manage the variable power delivered by Rotor Sail systems.
The Norsepower Rotor Sail solution 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. Norsepower has completed six installations to date, including the latest installation of five tilting Rotor Sails on a bulker.