A bulk carrier fitted with four Anemoi Rotor Sails has completed eight years of commercial operations and more than 150 voyages with no major structural or operational issues, according to Anemoi Marine Technologies.
The M/V Afros, equipped with the UK company’s wind-assisted propulsion system in 2018, passed a scheduled dry dock inspection in China in April, where Lloyd’s Register found the Rotor Sails remained in strong operating condition.
Anemoi said operational data reviewed during the latest service inspection showed the system had helped avoid nearly 5,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions.
The technology uses rotating vertical cylinders to harness wind power and reduce engine demand, cutting fuel consumption and emissions.
“This is the clearest long-term proof yet that modern wind propulsion works in real-world commercial shipping,” said Nick Contopoulos, co-founder and chief commercial officer at Anemoi. “The Afros has now demonstrated that these systems can operate reliably across years of global trading while delivering meaningful fuel and emissions savings.”
Anemoi said it has installed more than 20 Rotor Sails across five vessels since the Afros installation and is preparing to deliver another 10 systems for five additional vessels.
Anemoi Marine Technologies is a UK-based engineering company that develops Rotor Sail wind-assisted propulsion systems for commercial vessels, including retrofit and newbuilding applications.
Lloyd’s Register is a maritime classification society and technical assurance organisation providing classification, survey, inspection and compliance services to the shipping and offshore sectors.
