1st LNG/Wind Electric Propulsion Hybrid Ship In The Works

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An agreement has been signed between the auxiliary wind propulsion system firm Norsepower Oy and the Finnish shipping company Viking Line that will see a Rotor Sail Solution installed on the M/S Viking Grace.

This installation will reportedly make the LNG-fuelled cruise ferry M/S Viking Grace the world’s first (commercially used) LNG/wind electric propulsion hybrid ship. The installation will occur during Quarter 2 2018, according to those involved, with preparations for the retrofit now underway.

The retrofit will consist of the installation of one medium-sized Norsepower Rotor Sail unit that is 24m in height and 4m in diameter.

The press release provides more:

“The 57,565 GT M/S Viking Grace currently operates in the archipelago between Turku (Finland) and Stockholm (Sweden), and is already one of the most environmentally-friendly cruise ferries in the global maritime industry. With the addition of Norsepower’s technology, the vessel will further reduce its emissions, fuel burn and fuel costs; reducing carbon emissions by circa 900 tonnes annually; equivalent to cutting 300 tonnes of LNG fuel per year. …

“The Norsepower Rotor Sail Solution, which can be installed on new vessels or retrofitted on existing ships without off-hire costs, is a modernised version of the Flettner rotor; a spinning cylinder that uses the Magnus effect to harness wind power to propel a ship. The solution is fully automated and senses whenever the wind is strong enough to deliver fuel savings, at which point the rotors start automatically – optimising crew time and resource.”

The CEO of Norsepower, Tuomas Riski, commented: “This project marks the first of its kind modern auxiliary wind propulsion technology installation onboard a cruise ferry. As a Finnish based clean technology and engineering company, we are proud to be partnering with yet another prominent shipping company as we work towards a modern era of auxiliary wind propulsion for the global maritime fleet, while supporting shipping’s transition to the low carbon economy.”

The technology can reportedly result in fuel savings of up to 20% a year, going on independent data analysis, but much depends on the wind favorability of the route in question.


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James Ayre

James Ayre's background is predominantly in geopolitics and history, but he has an obsessive interest in pretty much everything. After an early life spent in the Imperial Free City of Dortmund, James followed the river Ruhr to Cofbuokheim, where he attended the University of Astnide. And where he also briefly considered entering the coal mining business. He currently writes for a living, on a broad variety of subjects, ranging from science, to politics, to military history, to renewable energy.

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