Norsepower rotor sails for Union Maritime’s tanker quartet

Finnish cleantech company Norsepower has closed a new deal with UK shipping company Union Maritime Limited (UML) to equip its fleet of new product tankers with rotor sails.

The agreement includes supply contracts for four newbuild ships fitted with rotor sails, to be constructed in China at Fujian Southeast Shipbuilding and Wuhu Shipyard.

A further eight vessels will also be rotor sail-ready for easy retrofitting in the future, Norsepower said.

The vessels, designed by Shanghai Odely Marine Engineering, will be chemical tankers with a capacity of 18,500 dwt. Each ship will be fitted with two rotor sails, featuring Norsepower’s proprietary explosion-protection design to meet the stringent safety standards required for product tankers.

The ships are specifically designed for navigation through the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes, USA, with an air draft limited to 35.5 meters as per charterer requirements.

“This is a significant milestone for Norsepower, as we continue to lead the way in sustainable shipping solutions,” Heikki Pöntynen, CEO of Norsepower, commented.

“With this deal, we will be fitting a total of eight NPRS on four vessels in the short term, with an additional orderbook of eight sister ships to be prepared with foundations for later retrofit. This represents a major step forward in our mission to decarbonize the maritime industry.”

“UML has been a leading proponent of wind propulsion, and it has become a key part of our propulsion energy optimization strategy. We are excited to partner with Norsepower to integrate their innovative products into our fleet, enhancing our sustainability efforts,” Bhuvnesh Dogra, Head of Technical at Union Maritime Limited, said.

Classed by Bureau Veritas with the class notation “Wind Propulsion 2,” this deal marks the second Norsepower order supplied, according to BV rules, and the first according to the classification society’s brand-new rules for wind propulsion systems.

In related news, Union Maritime recently joined forces with BAR Technologies to equip 34 tanker newbuilds with WingWings. The newbuilds include fourteen long-range 2 (LR2), 12 chemical and eight medium-range (MR) tankers.