Product tanker vessel to test rotor sails

Copenhagen, Helsinki & London – 30 August 2018: Norsepower Oy Ltd. (Helsinki, Finland), together with project partners Maersk Tankers (Copenhagen, Denmark), Energy Technologies Institute (ETI, London, UK) and Shell Shipping & Maritime, announced on Aug. 30 the installation of two Norsepower Rotor Sails onboard Maersk Pelican, a Maersk Tankers Long Range 2 (LR2) product tanker vessel.

The Rotor Sails are 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, with the goal ofoptimizing 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 30m tall by 5m in diameter  and are made using lightweight composite sandwich materials. Land testing of the Rotor Sails has been completed, including thorough testing of various mechanical and performance criteria. The Rotor Sails are the first 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. Independent experts from Lloyd’s Register’s (LR’s, London, UK) Ship Performance team will acquire and analyze the performance data during the test phase.