The “Berge Neblina”, an ore freighter owned by shipping company Berge Bulk, has completed its first voyage to Brazil with Flettner rotors installed.
The four rotor sails, each 35 m high and 5 m in diameter, were designed by Anemoi Marine Technologies and installed at Yiu Lian Dockyards in China.
Flettner rotors save almost 10% CO2
The 388,000 dwt “Berge Neblina”, a Valemax-class ore bulker, will use the rotors to save fuel and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “Using the latest wind technology to reduce our fleet’s emissions is an important part of Berge Bulk’s ‘Maritime Marshall Plan’ for decarbonisation,” said Paolo Tonon, Technical Director of the shipping company. “We are optimistic that these rotor sails can achieve a CO2 reduction of up to 8%.”
The Flettner rotors are installed on the deck of the “Berge Neblina” using a folding system. This allows them to use air currents on the high seas to give the ship additional thrust. They can also be retracted in strong storms or during cargo operations in port.
Kim Diederichsen, CEO of Anemoi, sees the technology as an important contribution to an emission-free future for shipping. His company continues to strive to maintain its position as a “leading provider of technologies for the decarbonisation of ships”.
Flettner rotors – named after their inventor Anton Flettner – were developed back in the 1920s, but were unable to establish themselves in commercial shipping for a long time. Nowadays, they are increasingly being used as an auxiliary drive to save fuel. The so-called “Magnus effect” comes into play here, whereby rotating objects are moved perpendicular to the wind flow. In the past, there have been several such installations, orders or projects, including for the shipping companies Oldendorff, CLdN, Scandlines or Ems-Fehn from Leer as well as Socatra or Rörd Braren.
