TIM eMagazine Volume 1 Issue 12 | Page 16

Maritime Image Credits: norsepower.com Maersk Tankers, Norsepower, ETI And Shell Collaborate To Test Wind Propulsion Technology N orsepower Oy Ltd. in partnership with Maersk Tankers, The Energy Technolo- gies Institute (ETI), and Shell Shipping & Maritime, today announced that it will install and trial Flettner rotor sails onboard a Maersk Tankers-owned vessel. The project will be the first installation of wind-powered energy technology on a product tanker vessel, and will provide insights into fuel savings and operational experience. The rotor sails will be fitted during the first half of 2018, before undergoing 16 testing and data analysis at sea until the end of 2019. Maersk Tankers will supply a 109,647-deadweight tonne (DWT) Long Range 2 (LR2) product tanker vessel which will be retrofitted with two 30m tall by 5m diameter Norsepower Rotor Sails. Combined, these are expected to reduce average fuel consumption on typical global shipping routes by 7-10%. The project is majority funded by the UK’s Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) with contributions from Maersk Tankers and Norsepower. Shell will act as project coordinator, and provide operational and terminal / port consultancy to the project team, while Maersk Tankers will provide technical and operational