SIGNALS: PEOPLE, NUMBERS, AND IDEAS SHAPING BUSINESS
The BIG picture
WHEN CARGO SHIPS CATCH THE WIND AGAIN
Image supplied by Anemoi Marine Technologies Instead of canvas and rigging, the rotor sail uses an electrically powered spinning cylinder to generate additional thrust from the wind.
Maersk will place a 35m spinning cylinder above a container ship in 2027, bringing one of shipping’ s oldest energy sources back through modern engineering.
In what the companies describe as a first for container shipping, Maersk has selected British manufacturer Anemoi Marine Technologies to install a fixed rotor sail on an 8 700-TEU vessel. The system is due to be fitted in mid-2027 and tested during normal commercial voyages, including North and South Atlantic routes. The pilot will show if wind assistance can work around the central constraint of a container ship, which is that almost all of the deck space is needed for cargo.
We see this pilot as a valuable opportunity to build practical experience.”
Ole Graa Jakobsen, Maersk head of fleet technology
How it works
Wind passes across a spinning cylinder, creating different air pressures on either side. This generates sideways lift, which is directed into forward thrust.
The company estimate
One tonne of fuel and approximately three tonnes of CO 2 saved by each rotor sail per operating day. Actual performance depends on the vessel, route and wind conditions.
The numbers
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