More ships with Flettner rotors

Both Stena Line and cargo shipping company Sea Cargo are betting on Flettner rotors. Both shipping companies announced that they will equip ships in their fleets with wind support. And the Finns are also trying out Flettners.

For some ships, combined with other fuel-saving measures, fuel reductions of up to 50% are anticipated. Other initiatives are already satisfied with 9%.

Sea Cargo

Norwegian shipping company Sea-Cargo has announced significant technological solutions to reduce the fuel consumption of its existing ro-ro vessels Misida and Misana by an expected up to 50%. Besides optimised propellers and solar panels, three Flettner rotors from Finland’s Norsepower will also be installed.

Sea-Cargo already has experience with rotor sails and has been applying them on the SC Connector since the end of 2020. That the shipping company is now opting for the same technology on the Misida and Misana, which have been in service since 2007 and were recently acquired from Finland’s Godby Shipping, is promising. This suggests that previous experience with rotor sails has been positive.
The modifications are expected to be completed this summer, after which the vessels will resume service on the Norwegian west coast.

Stena line

Swedish ferry company Stena Line is a little less ambitious than the Norwegians, but it will be using Flettner rotors on the new-build Stena Connecta. Together with its sister ship Stena Futura, also a newbuild, it will operate on the Irish Sea, on the Belfast-Heysham route. It is hoped that the favourable wind conditions could lead to fuel savings of 9%.

The rotor sails will be supplied by Finland’s Norsepower, which already has experience with such installations on ferries. Previously, Scandlines and Viking Line, among others, have installed rotors on some of their ships.

Stena aims to reduce carbon emissions by 30% by 2030 compared to 2019. According to Dennis Tetzlaff, Stena’s Chief Operating Officer Fleet, innovations such as wind propulsion will play a crucial role in achieving this target.

Interestingly, the Stena Futura will be delivered ‘rotor-sail ready’, but without the actual rotor sails installed. As both ships operate on the same route, this presents a prime opportunity for Stena to accurately assess the benefits of wind propulsion.

Airbus

Finnish design firm Deltamarin, meanwhile, has engaged Dutch MARIN to test the performance and manoeuvring characteristics of a ship model with six Flettner rotors. These tests are part of the preparation for the new-build ships for Airbus.

Sources: Norsepower, Cision, SWZ Maritime, Stenaline, Sea Cargo, DeltaMarin.

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