Norsepower, NAPA team up to reap wind propulsion benefits using voyage optimisation 

Finland-based clean tech company Norsepower has signed a formal agreement with NAPA, a compatriot maritime software, services and data analysis provider, to offer weather routing software in combination with its Rotor Sails solution.

Under the agreement, NAPA Voyage Optimization software will be included as an option in all future sales of Norsepower’s Rotor Sails solution.

The combined offer, which applies to retrofits as well as newbuilds, will enable shipowners to maximise both fuel savings and emissions reductions, according to the duo.

The combination of voyage optimisation and wind propulsion is said to provide significant potential for increased performance compared to either of the two technologies alone. The software determines the best possible voyage plan for the vessel to maximise the energy savings, taking into account weather conditions throughout the voyage as well as each ship’s design profile and operational requirements.

The Norsepower Rotor Sail is a modernised version of the Flettner rotor, a spinning cylinder that uses the Magnus effect to harness wind power and generate thrust – reducing fuel consumption and emissions by an average of between 10-25%.

The solution has so far been installed on six different vessels, with further orders confirmed with CLdN, the logistics specialist for road, sea and rail.

NAPA Voyage Optimization solution enables captains and ship managers to choose the routes that will minimise their fuel consumption and emissions, depending on the weather conditions. Importantly, the suggested routes are tailored to the designs and characteristics of each ship, using vessel-specific digital models to assess and predict performance under different conditions. This is to ensure Norsepower’s Rotor Sails system is specifically considered in the ship performance models to deliver optimal routing.

“Our Rotor Sails already offer fuel and associated emissions savings of up to 25%. However, savings can be significantly enhanced when used alongside weather routing software. Given the magnitude of the energy transition challenge, combining commercially-proven solutions enables shipowners to take the next step to not only meeting regulatory targets, but exceeding them,” Tuomas Riski, CEO of Norsepower, commented on the partnership.

“Vessels using the solutions available today will be able to decarbonise faster. It will also help shipowners achieve greater climate alignment compliance scores, including the IMO’s Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) as well as supporting the ship finance portfolios that are influenced by the requirements of directives such as the Poseidon Principles and Sea Cargo charter clauses.”

“Advanced weather routing is essential for all ships, but it is particularly important for wind-assisted vessels. Now that wind propulsion solutions are becoming a reality for a growing number of ocean-going vessels, we are taking this to the next level with voyage optimisation software which can fully model various cleantech solutions in all weather conditions, taking into account design data for each individual vessel,” Pekka Pakkanen, Executive Vice President at NAPA Shipping Solutions, added.

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