Mainstream Adoption of Rotor Sails Within the Global Fleet

The installation of five Rotor Sails from Anemoi Marine Technologies onboard Sohar Max, a 400,000 dwt Very Large Ore Carrier, in late 2024 was a landmark moment for the wider wind-assisted propulsion systems (WAPS) sector for two reasons.

The first was that the project, which took place at the COSCO Zhoushan shipyard in China, marked the largest wind propulsion installation to date. 

The first-generation Valemax, which was built in 2012 and owned by Omani shipowner Asyad and chartered by Brazilian mining giant Vale, was retrofitted with five 35-meter tall Rotor Sails on its port side deck to reduce fuel consumption significantly, equating to an expected carbon emission reduction of up to 3,000 tonnes annually. The Rotor Sails were installed on Anemoi’s bespoke folding deployment system, which enable the sails to be folded from vertical to mitigate any impacts on the vessel’s cargo handling operations.

Secondly, the project demonstrated the growing confidence of shipowners in wind power, particularly Rotor Sails, as a reliable means of auxiliary propulsion. This shift reflects their growing commitment to reducing carbon emissions and complying with essential environmental regulations as the shipping industry progresses on its decarbonization journey.

With Rotor Sails now installed on some of the world’s biggest and most important vessels, plying the most predominant trade routes, the scene is now set for wind-propulsion systems to become a much more common sight for shipowners and operators around the world as a means to curb emissions and improve efficiency of commercial vessels.

High-performi…