British supplier of rotor sails for commercial vessels, Anemoi Marine Technologies, expects to complete 50 vessel installations a year by 2025, CEO Kim Diederichsen tells Maritime CEO, says an article published on splash website.
Rotor sails
Anemoi was incorporated in 2015 after many years of R&D and concept testing, which were crowned by the company’s first successful rotor sails installation onboard a bulk carrier in 2018.
Diederichsen believes that of the current world fleet, around 30% of existing vessels would benefit from the installation of rotor sails, and over 65% of new ships on order today would be suitable.
“If our rotor sails were fitted to every suitable vessel in the global fleet, a mammoth 17m tonnes of fuel would be saved each year, resulting in a staggering reduction in carbon of 56m tonnes,” he claims.
Challenge
The challenge Anemoi is facing is changing perceptions. Wind assisted propulsion for merchant ships is sometimes thought of as expensive, difficult to manage, ineffective, and old-fashioned. Some see it as taking a backward step. But the opposite is true, according to Diederichsen.
“We’ve proven that our solution is easy to deploy and delivers very real benefits in terms of fuel and emissions savings. The industry’s leaders have understood this and that’s why we are increasingly installing our rotor sails on more and more vessels. I believe it’s only a matter of time before perceptions will change and many others will follow,” he says.
“I see our systems being deployed over the coming couple of decades primarily as a way to help owners meet their environmental obligations,” he says. “Thereafter and when low carbon fuels become the norm, our systems will also become an aid to reducing operating costs.”
Market for wind propulsion
The market for wind propulsion has grown significantly over the last couple of years as the technologies developed from concepts to commercial products.
According to the International Windship Association (IWSA) there are approximately 15 commercial vessels fitted with wind propulsion technologies today, but the EU forecasts almost 11,000 installations by 2030.
Collaboration
So far, in 2021, Anemoi has entered into a wide number of collaboration and supply agreements with numerous vessel owners and charterers. Amongst others, one of the world’s largest dry bulk operators, Oldendorff Carriers, is part of its joint development project with SDARI and Lloyd’s Register.
In May, Tufton Investment Management placed an order covering the supply and delivery of a rotor sail system for a kamsarmax bulker.
Aim
In the short term, Anemoi’s focus is on scaling up production to accommodate the increased demand for rotor sails. The company has chosen its production setup to be located in China, and it is forecasting a doubling of staff this year.
“Our 2022 delivery schedule covers first vessel installations with a view to progressing to wider fleet rollout across numerous stakeholders from 2023 onwards. This aligns with our five-year strategy plan, targeting 50 vessel installations per year by 2025, of which we are currently executing,” Diederichsen forecasts.
Summary
- British supplier of rotor sails for commercial vessels, Anemoi Marine Technologies, expects to complete 50 vessel installations a year by 2025.
- Anemoi was incorporated in 2015 after many years of R&D and concept testing, which were crowned by the company’s first successful rotor sails installation onboard a bulk carrier in 2018.
- The challenge Anemoi is facing is changing perceptions. Wind assisted propulsion for merchant ships is sometimes thought of as expensive, difficult to manage, ineffective, and old-fashioned.
- Anemoi’s focus is on scaling up production to accommodate the increased demand for rotor sails.
Did you subscribe to our daily newsletter?
It’s Free! Click here to Subscribe!
Source: splash247.com
