Baltrader to install rotor sail on a cement carrier
German cement transportation company Baltrader Capital has inked a deal to install a rotor sail on its latest cement carrier.
PHOTO: Illustration of Baltrader’s cement carrier M/V Cemcommander with a rotor sail. Norsepower
The cement carrier, M/V Cemcommander, will be fitted with a 24-metre-high rotor sail to improve energy efficiency. A rotor sail is a modernised form of Flettner rotor based on the Magnus effect, which creates air pressure to cause spinning.
Under favourable wind conditions, the rotor sail will enable the vessel's main engine to throttle back and consume less fuel while providing enough power to maintain speed.
Finnish wind propulsion system maker Norsepower will provide the rotor sail for this project.
The delivery of the rotor sail is due to be completed in the summer of 2024. The vessel is currently under construction in China’s Jiangsu Zhenjiang Shipyard.
The installation is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport’s directive which supports measures to improve the energy efficiency of coastal vessels.
Wind-assisted propulsion systems (WAPS) have been gaining popularity among shipowners as they look for technologies that can boost vessel performance, reduce fuel use, and enhance sustainability.
This month, Singapore-based shipping company Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS) and Tahitian shipping company SNA TUHA’A PAE (SNA) placed orders for suction sails with Spanish wind-assisted propulsion technology developer bound4blue. Also this month, Dutch chemical tanker firm Chemship commissioned its first WAPS-powered vessel.
By Tuhin Roy
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