Oldendorff Carriers installs rotor sails on a vessel

German shipping company Oldendorff Carriers has successfully retrofitted its cargo vessel with rotor sails.

PHOTO: Oldendorff Carriers’ cargo vessel Chinook Oldendorff equipped with rotor sails. Oldendorff Carriers

The Dietrich Oldendorff has been retrofitted with three 24-metre-high rotor sails from Finnish cleantech company Norsepower.

The cargo vessel transports steelmaking coal for coal mine operator Elk Valley Resources (EVR) from the Port of Vancouver to buyers across the Pacific.

Rotor sails, based on the Magnus effect, generate air pressure through spinning, enabling the ship's engine to reduce power under favourable wind conditions while maintaining speed.

Oldendorff Carriers estimates the rotor sails will cut fuel consumption on transpacific routes by 10-15%.

Wind-assisted propulsion systems (WAPS) are gaining traction among shipowners aiming to improve vessel efficiency and reduce fuel consumption.

In November, Spanish WAPS developer bound4blue announced plans to install 20 suction sails on five medium-range (MR) tankers owned by Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller-Maersk.

October saw significant WAPS developments: Dutch shipping firm Amasus contracted bound4blue to equip one of its vessels with sails, Nuclear Transport Solutions installed a wing sail on a specialist ship, and Japanese shipping company NS United Kaiun Kaisha partnered with Brazilian mining firm Vale to install five WAPS units on a bulk carrier.

Additionally, Antony Veder retrofitted a gas carrier with a WAPS, while Dutch firm Jumbo Maritime installed two sails on a heavy-lift vessel.

By Tuhin Roy

Please get in touch with comments or additional info to news@engine.online