Finnish cleantech company Norsepower, together with shipping company IINO Lines and electric power company J-POWER, has completed the installation of one Norsepower Rotor Sail, a wind propulsion system, onboard a bulk carrier.
The 24m x 4m Norsepower Rotor Sail was installed onboard the 2016-built bulk carrier Yodohime in December 2024. The vessel completed its first voyage with the wind propulsion system fitted on its forecastle deck in January 2025.
As explained, the AI technology is utilized to automatically control the rotor sail’s rotation, direction, and speed using real-time meteorological information, such as wind direction and wind speed, detected by sensors.
The Magnus effect generated when wind meets the rotating cylindrical sail produces a powerful thrust which, in combination with the voyage optimization system, is expected to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by approximately 6-10%.
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World’s first: Norsepower’s rotor sails to be installed on coal carrier
Yodohime is the second vessel for IINO LINES to be equipped with Norsepower Rotor Sails, following the installation onboard the very large gas carrier (VLGC) Oceanus Aurora last November.
The 2023-built Oceanus Aurora sails between Houston, USA, and Stenungsund, Sweden, or Porvoo, Finland. Norsepower calculated that the NPRS would reduce the vessel’s fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by approximately 4%, aligning with international emissions reduction targets, including the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII), and mitigating rising fuel costs.