Oldendorff Carriers has installed three Flettner rotors on the 100,488-dwt post-panamax bulker Chinook Oldendorff (built 2020).
The Norsepower Rotor Sails can tilt to allow cargo operations in port and are expected to produce enough thrust on the vessel’s Pacific route from Vancouver, Canada, to produce significant fuel savings.
The retrofit was performed in conjunction with CSSC Chengxi Shipyard in China during regular dry-docking.
Each rotor is 24 metres high and has a diameter of 4 metres. Flettner rotors work by spinning in the wind and generating forward thrust through the Magnus effect.
The Magnus effect occurs when a spinning object moves through the air creating a forward force.
Oldendorff director of research and development Torsten Barenthin said: “We saw Chinook sailing at 13.4 knots, with only 30% of the nominal main engine power.
“The rotors delivered a surplus of about 3 MW propulsion equivalent power.
“While this is only a snapshot in very favourable conditions, this achievement shows the potential savings and environmental impact that Norsepower Rotor Sails can provide when operated properly.”
Earlier this year, Norsepower announced it intended to open a new factory in China to produce the rotor sails. This is now operational, according to Norsepower chief product officer Antti Aapro.
“Norsepower has now seen a quantum leap towards industrial production,” Aapro said.
“Its capacity will be 50 units by the end of 2024 and 100 by 2027.
“Expanding our capacity is the only way to respond to our customer’s needs, which have dramatically increased recently across all ship types and under all flags,” he said.
