German Government funds rotor sail installation on newly delivered cement carrier Cemcommander
The newly delivered cement carrier Cemcommander will be fitted with Norespower’s rotor sail system this summer (Source: SDC)
The German Government is providing funding to support the retrofitting of an auxiliary wind propulsion system on board the recently delivered cement carrier Cemcommander. The Hamburg-based owner of this vessel, Baltrader Capital GmbH and Co KG, has signed a contract with Finnish wind propulsion system provider Norsepower for the delivery of one 24m x 4m sized rotor sail to Cemcommander this summer.
Cemcommander, designed by Hamburg’s SDC Ship Design Consultants GmbH, is the latest vessel to join the fleet of Baltrader, having been delivered in January this year by China’s Jiangsu Zhenjiang Shipyard (Group) Co Ltd. The 5,876dwt vessel is currently on its delivery voyage from China to Europe.
The rotor sail installation on the cement carrier is being supported by the funding directive Sustainable Modernisation of Coastal Vessels (NaMKü), of the German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport.
Cemcommander is commercially operated by Baltrader Schifffahrtsgesellschaft mbH & Co KG, while responsible for the vessel’s technical management is Brise Bereederungs GmbH and Co KG. The latter handles the technical management for the entire Baltrader fleet.
The Norsepower rotor sail is a radically modernised version of the Flettner rotor. It uses the ship’s electric power to actively rotate the cylinder-shaped rotor on the deck, producing powerful thrust. The system can save fuel and thus enabling emission reductions of up to 14%, thereby meeting the funding objectives.
