A Kamsarmax bulk carrier fitted with rotor sails has completed its first voyage from China’s Jiangyin city to Australia’s Newcastle city on 26 July, reports Argus Media.
Anemoi rotor sails to provide forward thrust
Installation of UK-based Anemoi Marine Technologies’ (AMT) rotor sails on the 2017-built, 82,048 dead weight tonne Kamsarmax vessel the TR Lady was completed at Chengxi shipyard in China in June, AMT said on 17 August. The TR Lady was retrofitted with three 5×24m rotor sails.
Anemoi’s rotor sails — also known as Flettner rotors — are vertical cylinders which, when driven to rotate, harness the renewable power of the wind to provide additional forward thrust, saving fuel and reducing emissions while maintaining speed and voyage times.
The rotor sails are expected to cut fuel use and emissions by over 10pc annually, according to Anemoi on 16 February, predicting an average of 14.4pc in fuel savings, based on an optimal low ship speed operating profile.
The fuel savings would amount to about $595,000/yr and the reduction in carbon emissions would be about 2,950 t/yr. This is based on a standard Kamsarmax, which consumes an average of 22.5 t/d or 8,212.5 t/yr at sea while travelling, completing about 8½ round trips from Australia to China each year — assuming a total of about 43 days, with approximately 34 days at sea, and nine days at port. The price of very-low sulphur fuel oil with 0.5pc sulphur content at Zhoushan was at $635.50/t on 21 August.
The vessel is owned by TR Lady Shipping, a portfolio company of Tufton Investment Management, and the vessel is currently on a time charter with trading firm Cargill.
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Source: Argus Media
