100,400 dwt bulker Oldendorff Chinook debuts Norsepower rotor sails

November 21, 2024, by Sara Kosmajac

Three Norsepower rotor sails (NPRS) have been installed onboard the 100,400 dwt Post Panamax bulk carrier Chinook Oldendorff, marking the ‘first stage’ in the collaboration between Germany’s Oldendorff Carriers and Finland’s Norsepower Oy to “advance” wind-assisted propulsion in shipping.

Chinook Oldendorff with three Norsepower Rotor Sails onboard, ready to sail. Credit: Norsepower

As disclosed, in a joint operation coordinated between Norsepower engineers and the China State Shipbuilding Corporation’s (CSSC) Chengxi shipyard, Chinook Oldendorff—formerly known as Dietrich Oldendorff—set on its inaugural sail a day after the commissioning work was wrapped up to collect its next cargo in Vancouver, Canada.

As per Oldendorff, via a joint agreement first announced back in December 2023, the vessel has been transporting Elk Valley Resources (EVR) steelmaking coal from the Port of Vancouver to customers across the Pacific Ocean.

“The collaboration with EVR on this project exemplifies how partnerships can drive meaningful progress,” shared Russ McNeil, Managing Director of Oldendorff Vancouver.

“The Chinook Oldendorff reflects our commitment to deliver practical environment-conscious solutions that align with our clients’ needs and our long-term sustainability goals.”

The Norsepower rotor sails—engineered from recycled materials—are described as a ‘modernized version’ of the Flettner rotor. According to Norsepower, the NPRS utilizes a small amount of electricity to spin cylindrical sails on the deck, thus harnessing wind and the Magnus effect to generate strong thrusts.

This design, in turn, is what bolsters the main propulsion and is believed to lead to lower fuel consumption and minimized emissions. In fact, the triple rotor sail solution is anticipated to reduce Chinook Oldendorff’s fuel consumption on transpacific routes by 10-15%.

“We applaud Oldendorff Carriers and Elk Valley Resources for their leadership to reduce emissions from the shipping industry. Their innovative efforts are in line with the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s ongoing commitment to environmental protection, and we are pleased to welcome the Chinook Oldendorff at the Port of Vancouver,” Jennifer Natland, Vice-President, Properties and Environment, Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, further spotlighted.

With tiltable foundations, the NPRS can also reportedly be stowed on deck during cargo operations, ensuring ‘easy integration’ by avoiding disturbances during loading and unloading activities.

“This Autumn, we saw Chinook sailing at 13,4kts with only 30% of the nominal main engine power. The rotors delivered a surplus of approx. 3MW propulsion equivalent power,” Torsten Barenthin, Director of Research & Development at Oldendorff, elaborated.

“While this is only a snapshot in very favorable conditions, this achievement shows the potential savings and environmental impact that Norsepower Rotor Sails can provide when operated properly.”

The agreement for the equipment supply between Oldendorff and Norsepower for the installation of the three 24m x 4m rotor sails was initially announced back in February this year. That same month Norsepower and French shipowner Louis Dreyfus Armateurs SAS (LDA) signed a deal to equip the company’s rotor sails on a low-emission RoRo fleet, set to run on maritime diesel oil and e-methanol, and chartered to Airbus.

In September 2024, Norway’s classification society DNV issued a type approval design certificate (TADC) for Norsepower’s explosion-proof (EX) version of the 24m x 4m NPRS. As understood, the TADC certified that the rotor sails meet strict safety and performance standards necessary for installation in hazardous zones on tankers and other explosive liquid- or gas-carrying tankers and other vessels.

In addition to Oldendorff Carriers, the NPRS have also just been installed on Oceanus Aurora, a dual-fuel very large gas carrier (VLGC) owned by Japan’s shipping company IINO Kaiun Kaisha (IINO Lines) and chartered by Austria’s chemical company Borealis.

Namely, following a March 2023 contract, the VLGC was fitted with two “custom-designed” NPRS in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, at the beginning of November 2024. It is expected that the vessel could, as a result, achieve an emissions reduction of 4%.