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Shipping decarbonisation fast-tracked
WITH NEW REGULATIONS CONSTANTLY UPDATING AS THE SHIPPING INDUSTRY TRANSITIONS TO A LOW CARBON FUTURE, TUOMAS RISKI, CEO AT NORSEPOWER, HIGHLIGHTS HOW INNOVATIVE WIND PROPULSION SOLUTIONS MAKE A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO DECARBONISING THE INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING INDUSTRY.
WORDS BY TUOMAS RISKI, CEO AT NORSEPOWER. ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF NORSEPOWER.
There is no doubt that shipowners and operators – as well as cargo owners and shippers – are all recognising the need to adapt and make shipping more environmentally-friendly as the pressure to adhere to existng and forthcoming environmental regulatons intensifes. Shipping is heavily relying upon new, innovatve ideas and concepts to achieve its decarbonisaton goals. Wind as an additonal power source to enable a reducton in fuel consumpton and emissions is a natural next step for the
The two cylinders (35 x 5) are manufactured by Norsepower and are ftted to the SC Connector Ro-Ro vessel, which sails in a liner system in the North Sea; an area with favourable wind conditions, ideal for using rotor sail technology.
maritme transport industry as it seeks to remain cost-efcient and meet environmental regulatons. It is one of the most freely available energy sources and 100% carbon neutral, making wind-assisted propulsion extremely viable.
Making compliance work commercially
Under the EEXI regulaton, at the frst annual survey afer entry into force in 2023, ships are required to demonstrate compliance with EEXI standards. When looking at meetng compliance and exploring technologies like Norsepower’s Rotor Sails, it is important to remember one factor – every tonne of fuel makes over three tonnes of CO2. The installaton of a Rotor Sail means achieving fuel, fuel cost, and emissions savings of, for example, 10% would also improve a vessel’s EEXI ratng by around 5 - 15%, depending on the actual case of each vessel. This EEXI improvement is a direct consequence of massive decreases in fuel consumpton and costs – making investments in wind propulsion technologies sound, even when looked at on a simple fnancial basis.
Not only does a retroft or newbuild installaton of the Rotor Sail support compliance with the new EEXI and CII rules, it also signifcantly decreases fuel consumpton and costs. Investment in such clean technology that reduces fuel consumpton also ofers an opportunity to future proof vessels against inevitable fuel price increases as new fuels like ammonia and hydrogen enter the market, as well as against forthcoming CO2 emission taxes and/ or emissions trading. For example, a 10% fuel saving from a Rotor Sail can mean the diference between operatng proftably or not, as new fuels enter the market and a cost for carbon emissions is implemented.
Tangible savings
The successful installatons completed to date have built confdence in the value in utlising Rotor Sails – not only by cutng >>
Shipping is heavily relying upon new, innovative ideas and concepts to achieve its decarbonisation goals.
Timberwolf’s (ex-Maersk Pelican) installation took place in August 2018, Norsepower Two Rotor Sails (30x5). Tuomas Riski, CEO at Norsepower.
emissions, but also reducing fuel costs. For example, one recent project was the installaton of two 35m tall and 5m wide Rotor Sails on a Ro-Ro vessel, SC Connector, with leading logistcs provider in the North Sea market Sea-Cargo. This is the frst tme Rotor Sails have been designed to tlt almost horizontally – a necessity for the SC Connector due to the height restricton on her key routes. The company makes incremental design changes to the design and ensure the right size Rotor Sail is fted to the vessel, in the right locaton, and that the right amount is fted. The savings achieved are currently estmated to be up to 25% on emissions and fuel savings.
Additonally, the most recent installaton on a 325,000dwt VLOC was installed with fve 24m high and 4m diameter Rotor Sails, which can be tlted by using hydraulic cylinders. Norsepower has analysed the routes for the vessel chartered by Vale, and estmates that her technology would be able to achieve an efciency gain of up to 8% and a consequent reducton of up to 3,400 tons of CO2 per year. The payback depends on the propertes of the ship, the vessel’s route, and the wind conditons, so it varies in each case. Due to increasing energy prices, including CO2 emissions pricing, Rotor Sails are becoming more and more atractve from a commercial standpoint.
Future-proofng ship fnance
In additon to cost savings, sustainable investng is also becoming a key driver in fnancing feets ft for the future. The Global Maritme Forum’s Poseidon Principles and the Sea Cargo Charter, as well as the newly formed Mission Possible Partnership (MPP), represent a much wider recogniton of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) measures at the core of future business from investors and a growing number of customers. Even though almost a third of shipowners say that ESG criteria barely infuence their investment decisions, according to a report by Watson Farley Williams, nearly 90% of fnanciers regard ESG as having some, or even crucial, importance. Consequently, investments are increasingly based on a vessels’ efciency and emissions performance, as well as age. According to the Poseidon Principles Associaton, emissions are just as much about operatons as they are about ship design. They advocate that existng feets are beter retrofted than building new ships with old technology, and that operatonal data can be used to justfy lending to an older ship.
Norsepower’s Rotor Sail installatons have clearly demonstrated that wind propulsion can make a signifcant diference to the propulsion dynamics of large commercial vessels. If you combine this soluton with other measures, vessels can be extremely cost-efectve and environmentally-friendly, meetng regulatons but also providing fnancial benefts to the shipowner, operator, and cargo owner, with signifcant fuel reducton costs. This also means when vessels are transitoning to future fuels, which potentally requires more space to provide the same amount of energy, most likely at a far greater cost per tonne equivalent, the Rotor Sails contnue to ensure maximum efciency.
Wind-propulsion innovaton, partcularly when using Rotor Sails, is a soluton available to the market that delivers tangible and signifcant results. The windpropulsion market is only expected to grow as the shipping community recognises its value as a readily available resource to exceed regulatory compliance standards and to beneft shipping on a commercial level, too. It is essental to act now, so ships can be prepared and savings can be quickly realised.
