Teck Resources Limited and Oldendorff Carriers GmbH & Co. KG announced an agreement to use wind propulsion to further reduce CO2 emissions in Teck’s supply chain. The joint investment will see the vessel Dietrich Oldendorf, which carries shipments of Teck steelmaking coal from the Port of Vancouver, outfitted with a Flettner Rotor system by mid-2024, according to the company's release.
The Flettner Rotors generate lift from the wind, which is translated into additional thrust, thereby reducing fuel consumption on voyages across the Pacific. The addition of the rotors, along with other emission savings measures, is expected to reduce emissions by 55% resulting in an annual reduction of over 17,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions, equal to removing 3,500 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles from the road. Since the November 2021 announcement of the start of Teck and Oldendorff’s joint efforts to reduce supply chain emissions, an estimated 115,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions have been eliminated, the equivalent of removing over 25,000 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles from the road.
Manufactured by Norsepower, the rotors are constructed in part with recycled materials from approximately 342,000 plastic bottles.
Teck and Oldendorff are also currently piloting the use of biofuel on another bulk carrier as another means to lower emissions.