Taiwanese company U-Ming Marine has contracted UK technology provider Anemoi to install rotor sails on a VLOC.
Leading wind propulsion technology provider Anemoi Marine Technologies (“Anemoi”) and U-Ming Marine Transport (“U-Ming”) have signed an agreement for the installation of four rotor sails on one of U-Ming’s 325,000 dwt Very Large Ore Carriers (VLOC). The installation work is expected to be completed by the end of 2025, with fuel and emission savings of approximately 10 to 12% on the China-Brazil-South Africa-Australia ocean routes.
The ship will be retrofitted with four cylindrical sails from Anemoi, each 35 metres in height and 5 metres in diameter. The rotor sails will be installed using the folding system developed by Anemoi, which allows them to be folded away from the vertical to reduce the impact on draught and cargo handling.
“With projected significant fuel and emissions savings, this latest investment will further strengthen the international recognition of U-Ming’s unwavering commitment to sustainability and Anemoi’s position as a leader in decarbonisation technologies for ships,” said Claes Horndahl, Commercial Director at Anemoi.
Anemoi sails to play key role in decarbonisation strategy
“These state-of-the-art rotor sails will play a key role in our decarbonisation strategy and complement our portfolio of existing emission reduction technologies, including a fleet of LNG dual-fuel vessels,” said Choo Kiat Ong, President of U-Ming. “In addition, we will continue to explore other ways to reduce emissions, such as carbon capture systems and the conversion of conventional vessels to methanol dual-fuel. We look forward to continuing to work with like-minded partners such as Anemoi to help us achieve our goal of net zero.”
This latest announcement follows the successful installation of Anemoi rotor sails on various vessels, including four rotor sails with rail deployment systems on board an 82,000-tonne Kamsarmax bulk carrier in June 2023 and the retrofit of four foldable rotor sails on board a 388,000-tonne Valemax-class ore carrier in May 2024.
Background: Rotor sails, also known as “Flettner rotors”, are vertical cylinders that harness the renewable power of the wind to generate additional forward thrust and improve the ship’s energy efficiency while significantly reducing pollutant emissions. They can help improve the energy efficiency of your ships and meet international emission reduction targets such as the Carbon Intensity Indicator(CII) and Energy Efficiency Design Index ( EEDI )/EXI (Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index).
