The innovative solution supports the main propulsion system, leading to reduced fuel consumption, emissions, and fuel costs. Credit: Norsepower.

Oldendorff Carriers has installed three Norsepower Rotor Sails (NPRS on its 100,488-dwt post-panamax bulker Chinook Oldendorff.

This installation, a joint operation coordinated between Norsepower engineers and CSSC Chengxi Shipyard in China, allowed the vessel to embark on its next voyage to Vancouver, Canada, just one day after the commissioning work was completed.

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During its maiden voyage with the new technology, specialists conducted sea trials to evaluate the rotor sails’ performance.

The equipment supply agreement between Oldendorff Carriers and Norsepower, announced in February 2024, aims to reduce the vessel’s fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions by an average of 9% on its North Pacific trade route.

The NPRS, with tiltable foundations, are designed to be stowed on deck during cargo operations, ensuring no interference with loading and unloading activities. The installation and commissioning were efficiently carried out alongside the vessel’s hull painting and other essential repairs.

The Norsepower Rotor Sail, a modern take on the Flettner rotor, uses a small amount of electricity to spin cylindrical sails on the deck, harnessing wind and the Magnus effect to generate thrust.

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This solution supports the main propulsion system, leading to reduced fuel consumption, emissions, and fuel costs. Each NPRS is partially made from recycled materials, equivalent to about 342,000 plastic bottles.

Norsepower Rotor Sails have been in use for over a decade, accumulating more than 385,000 operational hours on vessels from some of the world’s leading shipping companies, contributing to a collective reduction of over 25,800t of CO₂ emissions.

The installation on Chinook Oldendorff is the first milestone in the collaboration between Norsepower and Oldendorff to promote wind-assisted propulsion in maritime shipping.