Sail away

Scandlines’ M/V Copenhagen, a hybrid passenger ferry operating between Rostock, Germany and Gedser, Denmark, has been retrofitted with a Norsepower Rotor Sail unit measuring 30m in height and 5m in diameter. The installation was completed in a matter of hours, following meticulous preparation over the past few months.

The Norsepower Rotor Sail Solution – which can be installed on new vessels or retrofitted on existing ships – is a modernised version of the Flettner rotor, a spinning cylinder that uses the Magnus effect to harness wind power to thrust a ship. The Rotor Sail is the first data verified and commercially operational auxiliary wind propulsion technology for the global maritime industry.

This installation, the fourth successfully completed by Norsepower, is estimated to reduce emissions by an estimated four to five per cent on average without compromising pre-retrofit speed and voyage times.