Rotor sails save fuel
A new rotor sail operation has been introduced in the Baltic Sea. The ferry operator Scandlines joined forces with Norsepower to install Norsepower’s rotor sail solution on the hybrid ferry M/V Copenhagen. The vessel operates between Rostock, Germany and Gedser, Denmark.
The rotor sail unit measuring 30 m in height and 5 m in diameter is a modernised version of the Flettner rotor, a spinning cylinder that uses the Magnus effect to harness wind power to thrust a ship. Besides reducing emissions, it will save fuel by an estimated 4-5% on average without compromising pre-retrofit speed and voyage times.
The solution is fully automated and detects whenever the wind is strong enough to deliver emission savings, at which point the rotor sails start automatically. (mw)