Anemoi Rotor Sails complete eight years in operation

Rotor sails installed by London-based Anemoi Marine Technologies on an Ultramax bulk carrier owned by Blue Planet Shipping have completed more than eight years of continuous operation and generated consistent fuel and emission savings over the period.

The 64,000dwt Afros, the first bulk carrier to have a rotor sail installation, has completed its second intermediate survey, carried out by Lloyd’s Register at Jiangsu Watts Energy & Engineering in China. The classification society confirmed that the Anemoi Rotor Sails remained structurally sound and free of operational issues.

Over the period, the vessel has made 154 voyages during which time the sails have saved 1,340 tonnes of fuel and 4,980 tonnes of well-to-wake carbon emissions. The wind power system has clocked up 95% operational availability over the period.

Significantly higher fuel and emissions savings would be achieved today because the sails installed on the bulk carrier were significantly smaller at that time, with a diameter of 2m and a height of 16m. When scaled to the sails installed today, the Afros result equate to about 1.33 tonnes of daily fuel savings.   

The company’s co-founder and CCO, Nick Contopoulos, commented: “The successful completion of Afros’ second intermediate survey is a landmark moment not only for Anemoi, but for the wider wind propulsion sector. Independent confirmation from Lloyd’s Register after more than eight years of operation demonstrates that Anemoi Rotor Sails are not simply an innovative decarbonisation concept, they are a durable, practical and commercially deployable technology for the global fleet.”