The Rotor Sails are Flettner rotors; large, cylindrical mechanical sails that spin to create a pressure differential – called the Magnus effect – that propels the vessel forward. The Rotor Sails will provide auxiliary wind propulsion to the vessel, optimising fuel efficiency by reducing fuel consumption and associated emissions by an expected 7-10% on typical global shipping routes.
The Rotor Sails are the world’s largest at 30 metres tall by five metres in diameter and were installed on the product tanker vessel in the port of Rotterdam. The first voyage with the Rotor Sails installed will commence shortly.
The Rotor Sails have completed rigorous land testing, including thorough testing of various mechanical and performance criteria, and this is the first Rotor Sail to be Class approved for use on a product tanker vessel. Extensive measurement and evaluation of the effectiveness of the Rotor Sails will now take place to test the long-term financial and technical viability of the technology. Independent experts from Lloyd’s Register’s (LR’s) Ship Performance team will acquire and analyse the performance data during the test phase to ensure an impartial assessment before technical and operational insights as well as performance studies are published.
There are now three vessels in daily commercial operation using Norsepower’s Rotor Sails.
By Jake Frith
