Rotor sail developer Norsepower says that an initial three-year trial with Viking Line, which saw the passenger vessel Viking Grace fitted with its technology, has been concluded. The ship’s operator is now planning to fit the system to its latest build, Viking Glory.
“Rotor sail technology is a promising and ambitious step towards more environmentally-friendly maritime transport. It is important to develop this kind of solution, and we certainly want to be involved in finding new ways to make Baltic Sea transport more climate-smart. Flettner rotor technology is very interesting. Our partnership with Norsepower has been enriching and has expanded our views,” noted Johanna Boijer-Svahnström, senior vice president of corporate communications at Viking Line.
Norsepower’s rotor sail is a fully automated system which detects situations in which wind conditions are favorable for operations, with the sail then starting automatically. Norsepower notes that its sails have been installed on four other vessels in addition to Viking Grace, including Scandlines’ ferry M/V Copenhagen, which runs between Germany and Denmark, and the tanker Maersk Pelican.
“Test results from the Viking Grace project, which were validated by independent parties, led to many new rotor sail deliveries, and our operations are growing rapidly. The rotor sails that have been optimized for new vessels could potentially achieve fuel savings of up to 20%. Our rotor sail technology is already available as a solution enabling significantly lower emissions in maritime transport,” concluded Tuomas Riski, Norsepower’s CEO.