Maersk Tankers Sells its First Wind-Powered Vessel

Maersk Tankers, which leads Maersk’s liquid bulk business, recently announced its decision to sell Maersk Pelican. This was the world’s first product tanker to incorporate wind propulsion technology into its operations.

2018 saw a pair of Norsepower Flettner rotor sails installed on the tanker for the first time, and Maersk claimed that, during a one-year trial period, the vessel showed an 8.2 percent reduction in fuel consumption.

According to the vessel’s registration information, it is now owned by Indonesia’s Buana Lintas Lautan (BULL), a company that has been actively picking up second-hand tanker tonnage of late. The Maersk Pelican’s new name is Timberwolf.

“This vessel was special for us. While the vessel is sold with the technology installed on board, we will continue to work with relevant parties to enable the use of wind propulsion technology on board product tankers, just as we will continue to capitalize on new and existing fuel-saving solutions to help owners optimize vessel performance and reduce CO2 emissions,” said Tommy Thomassen, technical director, Maersk Tankers.

Wind propulsion has received a lot of interest lately because of its renewable nature, as ship owners around the world aim to reduce fuel consumption and lower CO2 emissions. Depending on the size of these sails, efficiency gains from propulsion assist mechanisms are generally in the range of 15-20%.