World’s first installation of rotor sails on Capesize bulker completed

A 200,000-ton class bulk carrier, currently employed under a mid–term contract for transportation of iron ore for Brazilian mining giant Vale, has been retrofitted with two 35m x 5m Norsepower rotor sails, Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), the ship’s owner, said.

Following the installation, the 2014-built Camellia Dream made its first call at Ponta da Madeira, Brazil.

This is “the world’s first” case of rotor sails on a Capesize bulk carrier, according to the companies. The vessel is expected to achieve about 6-10% fuel and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions on Brazil – Far East routes, combined with voyage optimization technology.

Back in 2021, Norsepower also installed five tilting rotor sails onboard a newbuild very large ore carrier (VLOC) chartered by Vale.

Vale says it is committed to supporting the maritime industry in achieving the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) decarbonization targets. Aligned with the ambition of the Paris Agreement, Vale also has a target of a 15% reduction in scope 3 (Note 3) emissions by 2035, related to the value chain, of which shipping emissions are part, since the ships are not owned by the company. Focused on adopting and leveraging technologies and fleet modernization to reduce GHG emissions, Vale created the Ecoshipping program, developing innovative energy-efficient projects, such as the rotor sails project, and a pioneering project to incorporate multi-fuel tanks on iron ore carriers.

Last year, the company also contracted the UK-based supplier of wind-assisted propulsion technology Anemoi Marine Technologies to install five rotor sails onboard a 400,000 dwt Valemax.

In its MOL Group Environmental Vision 2.2, the Japanese shipping major has set the target of achieving net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. One of the key actions to achieve this target is the “introduction of clean energy, further energy-saving technologies,” which includes installing wind propulsion systems such as rotor sails and Wind Challengers. Wind Challenger is a device developed by MOL and Oshima Shipbuilding, which converts wind energy to propulsive force using telescoping hard sails.

The group plans to launch 25 vessels equipped with the Wind Challenger by 2030 and 80 vessels by 2035.