The French shipowner & operator will see its medium-range tanker Alcyone retrofitted with two 35 m tall and 5 m in diameter Flettner rotors.
The 50k dwt, 2022-built ship, currently charter-working for TotalEnergies, will receive Norsepower's Rotor Sails in Q4 2023 or Q1 2024. The sails will be provided by the manufacturer's new production hub in China in December this year.
According to calculations, the Rotor Sails will lower Alcyone's fuel consumption by an average of 8% on her crossing from South Korea to French Polynesia, "[...] with the potential for further savings using voyage optimisation reaching up to 2,000 tons of CO2 per annum," says Norsepower.
"As the oil industry is moving towards a low-carbon future, it is everyone's responsibility to put forward tangible and economically viable solutions. We are pleased to be working with Norsepower to accelerate this transition and minimise our environmental footprint. The Norsepower Rotor SailTM is widely recognised as a proven solution for sea-going vessels, and we believe that our MR tanker Alcyone will benefit from significant efficiency gains and help us reduce our CO2 emissions," Laurent Bozzoni, Socatra's CEO, said.
Jérome Cousin, SVP Shipping at TotalEnergies, added, "The installation of two Norsepower Rotor Sails on Alcyone contributes to TotalEnergies' Net Zero ambition by providing an immediate reduction of the carbon footprint of our shipping activities. We reaffirm our commitment to promoting innovative solutions for more sustainable shipping and actively support the deployment of the most promising technologies. The success of this project could pave the way for a broader adoption of wind-assisted propulsion for TotalEnergies' fleet."
Another Finland-based company, Deltamarin, has been contracted to provide Socatra with a conversion basic design package for installing the two rotors.
Kristian Knaapi, Sales Manager at Deltamarin, said in this regard, "We are delighted to execute this project together with Socatra and Norsepower, and we look forward to seeing the vessel with installed sails in operation early next year. Wind is definitely a good technology for decarbonisation in both segments, in existing ships and newbuilds."
Photo: Norsepower