SEA-CARGO Installs Five Tilting Rotor Sail On Their Bulk Barrier
World-leading sail technology provider, Norsepower, in conjunction with SEA-CARGO, has decided, based on a thorough examination, that the installation of the two 35-meter tall Rotor Sails on the SC Connector, a 12,251 gross tonne (GT) side door RoRo vessel, will reduce fuel consumption, fuel cost, and reduce 25% of carbon emissions.
Norsepower’s Rotor Sail Solution is a modernized version of the Flettner rotor, a spinning cylinder that uses the Magnus effect to harness wind power to thrust a ship, which will lessen fuel burn and emissions. This new rotor provides automated solutions and checks for strong wind good enough to deliver fuel and emission savings, making the Rotor Sails start automatically. The newly installed tiltable version is geared toward vessels that must negotiate height-restricted routes.
SC Connector, which sails between Western Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Poland, transitions under multiple bridges and powerlines, requiring adaptation of the Rotor Sails to tilt to almost horizontal.
Tuomas Riski, CEO, Norsepower, said,
“Completing the installation has been extremely rewarding, as it reflects how, in taking a collaborative approach with a customer, we can innovate to create solutions that allow Rotor Sails to benefit almost any vessel type or trading route. As we get closer to 2030 IMO targets, we are seeing our technology gaining momentum – with the market seeing the flexibility we can provide to suit different vessel requirements. This installation demonstrates the technology can go a long way to future-proofing IMO GHG compliance, while ensuring significant emissions, and fuel reductions to a variety of vessel profiles today.”
Ole Sævild, Managing Director, SEA-CARGO, said,
“We are focusing on utilizing available renewable energy and using it for direct propulsion to design more environmentally friendly vessels. The Rotor Sail technology has been proven in the market for a while, but the size is unique for our project. The sails are far more efficient than conventional sails of the same size and the tilting function is essential to our voyage routes. Given the estimated emissions savings, we will use our experience of this full scale project, and proceed to develop it further for other vessels in our fleet.”