Norsepower rotor sails for world’s largest short sea RoRo

Finnish cleantech company Norsepower has signed an agreement with Luxembourg-based shipping group CLdN to install two tilting rotor sails onboard a 2018-built vessel.

Preparations are currently taking place with the installation anticipated to be completed by December 2022.

The MV Delphine, a roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) vessel with a cargo capacity of close to 8,000 lane meters, transits between the UK, Ireland and Europe. MV Delphine, together with its sister vessel MV Celine, are believed to be the largest short sea RoRo vessels operating in the world today.

With two 35mx5m rotor sails, Norsepower has estimated that the technology would achieve a fuel and emission reduction saving of between 7 to 10% for this vessel, depending on the route.

The Norsepower rotor sail solution – which can be installed on new vessels or retrofitted on existing ships – is a modernised version of the Flettner rotor, a spinning cylinder that uses the Magnus effect to harness wind power to thrust a ship. At the time of contract signing, this will be the seventh vessel to be installed with Norsepower’s rotor sails.

“Seeing the interest grow in our tilting rotor sail design demonstrates how the industry is looking for proven, flexible solutions to lower carbon emissions and reduce fuel costs across a range of vessel sizes and operations,” Tuomas Riski, CEO, Norsepower, commented on the agreement.

“Norsepower’s rotor sail installation on the MV Delphine demonstrates how the use of clean technology can modernise and evolve the performance of fleets’ younger vessels to manage emissions and help to increase asset value. With fuel becoming increasingly expensive, making savings will also have a huge impact on commercial success.”

“By investing in technologically advanced ships and terminals, CLdN enables its customers to improve their carbon footprint and support them at the same time in making their supply chains more efficient and robust. This demand for cleaner shipping is growing and we are committed to making measurable progress,” Gary Walker, COO Shipping, CLdN, said.

“Installing two of Norsepower’s rotor sails will maximise our fuel and emissions savings on the MV Delphine, and this pilot project will help determine how the rotor sail technology could be rolled out on the current CLdN fleet and our new-build vessels. We look forward to the installation and subsequent results.”

The Norsepower rotor sail is the first third-party verified and commercially operational auxiliary wind propulsion technology for the global maritime industry. The solution is fully automated and detects whenever the wind is strong enough to deliver fuel and emission savings, at which point the rotor sails start automatically. This is the third installation of the tilting rotor sail function.

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