Do you know what Viking sailors and our company, Norsepower, have in common? Harnessing the power of the wind. While the Vikings preferred windproof woollen sails soaked in resinous material, we’ve opted for a safer and more efficient, giving sails a modern spin – literally.
Every day, we work towards one purpose: to support a smarter, cleaner shipping industry. In the face of overwhelming challenges such as increasing fuel prices, climate change, and tightening regulations including the IMO’s Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII), the Energy Efficiency Existing ship Index (EEXI), and Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI), the sector needs radical solutions. And, that answer is blowing in the wind.
Harnessing wind power for large ships’ voyages is a proven, viable, and cost-effective solution.
The Norsepower Rotor Sail™ is a modernised version of the Flettner rotor. It uses a minimal amount of the ship’s electric power to rotate cylinder-shaped rotors on the ship’s deck. Rotation together with wind generates powerful thrust – saving fuel and reducing emissions from 20 – 25%, and even more.
As the first company in the market to successfully implement the use of rotor sail technology in this way since 2012, the performance of our award-winning Norsepower Rotor Sails™ has built up the strongest track record in the industry over the last decade. Not only is this becoming an increasingly attractive solution to customers, it’s winning trust from the wider market, including the backing of notable external investors. Most recently, we secured 28 million euros in our latest fundraising to accelerate our development to accelerate our development and implement fleet wide solutions for our customers.
Have you ever wondered if wind could power your fleet? The answer seems to be a resounding ‘yes’ and In fact, 30,000 vessels on the water today can benefit from Norsepower Rotor Sails™, highlighting the opportunity to reduce CO2 emissions across the global fleet by 80 megatons annually.
Our installations have already built up over 250,000 operating hours of performance data acquired from some of the world’s best-known shipping companies and charterers. This performance data includes installations in collaboration with customers like Scandlines and Sea-Cargo who are featured in the video as well as Vale, CLdN, Bore, and Socatra who have selected Norsepower Rotor Sails™ for improving fuel efficiency and reducing the emissions of their shipping operations.
The proof is in the results. The LR2 Epanastasea (ex Maersk Pelican) reported a verified 8% fuel saving with 3400 ton annual CO2 reduction; the MV Estraden has measured savings of 6.1%, and the SC Connector enjoys fuel savings of 13.5 tons per week with 20 – 25% and up to 70% in good conditions!
Our product can be rolled out across fleets, enabling shipowners and operators to scale how they reduce fuel and cut emissions. The M/V Berlin and M/V Copenhagen are already enjoying 4 – 5% emissions reductions in their operations, a clear example of how we can tangibly deliver greater impact and propel your operations into the future.
The next ten years will look very different for the shipping industry and we are confident that a more profitable, environmentally friendly era is one where wind is at the heart of its operations.
Get in touch to learn more about how your fleet can save fuel – and the planet today.
Interested in how our Rotor Sails™ perform at sea, watch this video.