Newly built VLGC to be equipped with rotor from Norsepower

Auxiliary wind propulsion systems provider Norsepower announced a contract for the supply and installation of two Norsepower rotor sails on a newly built Very Large Gas Carrier (VLGC) for global shipping company IINO Lines.

The new LPG dual fuel vessel, delivered today by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., Ltd in Korea, is ready to be fitted with two custom designed 20m high Norsepower rotor sails side by side. The new purpose designed 20m x 4m units have been developed to accommodate the ship’s specific draft limitations. The units will be installed on board the ship in the second quarter of 2024.

The Norsepower rotor sail is a modernized version of the Flettner rotor. A small amount of electricity is used to rotate the cylinder on the deck. The spinning cylinder and wind create the Magnus effect to generate thrust that assists the main propulsion, reducing fuel consumption, emissions and fuel costs.

According to calculations, Norsepower estimates that the rotor sails will reduce the ship’s fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions by around 4%. The performance of Norsepower rotor sails️ is estimated by a methodology verified by ClassNK. The savings will help the ship meet international emission reduction targets, including the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII), and save on rising fuel costs, while also allowing it to be future-proof against expected CO2 prices.

Hiromi Tosha, President of IINO Lines said: “IINO Lines is committed to taking an innovative approach to meet and exceed local and international decarbonization targets. Investing in sustainable ships is at the heart of our approach and working with Norsepower will allow us to use innovative and proven technologies that fit seamlessly into our operations. We would like to thank everyone involved who made an effort to realize this innovative project. We look forward to installing the rotor sails to make the ship greener than ever.”

Tuomas Riski, CEO of Norsepower, said: “With the enforcement of stricter environmental regulations, interest in the Norsepower Rotor Sail™️️ is increasing significantly and our recent agreement shows how action is being taken today by multiple stakeholders, including charterers. This is substantiated by the real performance data of the 15 Norsepower Rotor Sails that are in use today. The data from eight years of operation shows the achieved reduction in fuel costs and emissions, which in some cases is more than 25%. It is also Norsepower’s third gas tanker installation contract. We are excited to be supporting, among many others, IINO Lines to improve their environmental and commercial performance in the run-up to 2030 emissions reduction targets and to be part of the solution to help shipping reach its ambitious goal of carbon neutrality.”