Berge Bulk has signed on with Anemoi and Drax Group is partnering with MOL Drybulk
Two new agreements point to rotor sails or ’hard sails’ gaining ground in the bulk sector.
Singapore-headquartered dry bulk owner Berge Bulk has signed agreements with UK-based wind propulsion specialists Anemoi Marine Technologies Ltd to supply and fit two vessels in their dry bulk fleet with Anemoi rotor sails.
According to the companies, the first vessel to receive the wind-assisted propulsion package is Berge Neblina, a 388,000-dwt Valemax ore carrier built in 2012 that was made ’wind-ready’ earlier this year with structural integration required prior to installing the technology carried out during a scheduled drydock.
“Four of Anemoi’s large folding deployment rotor sails will be installed to improve vessel performance. Folding rotor sails can be lowered from the vertical to mitigate the impact on air draught and cargo handling operations. This flexible wind-ready approach has been taken to align with vessel availability and Anemoi’s production slots,” Anemoi wrote in a statement.
The same approach has been taken with the second vessel to have the rotor sails installed, Berge Mulhacen, a 2017-built 210,000-dwt Newcastlemax bulk carrier, which will also receive four folding rotor sails. DNV has granted approval of the plans for both ships.
In another deal that could see rotor sails installed on a bulk carriers, renewable energy company Drax Group and Japanese shipping company MOL Drybulk Ltd have signed a memorandum of understanding to “study the feasibility of deploying a first- and second-generation environmentally friendly bulk carrier (EFBC) to carry Drax’s biomass.
The first EFBC will use MOL’s automated telescopic hard sail technology, known as Wind Challenger, and will evaluate the application of other technologies including rotor sails.
The second EFBC aims to at least halve emissions, with new vessel designs that use multiple Wind Challenger sails along with low-carbon technologies still in development and alternative fuels such as ammonia, liquefied natural gas and synthetic fuels.
The first ship is expected to be on the water as soon as 2025.
The initiative is part of Drax Global’s plans to reduce supply chain emissions in line with goal of being carbon negative by 2030, by using bioenergy with carbon capture and storage.
“MOL has been working with our partners to develop the Wind Challenger technology for over a decade, and it’s great to see this become a reality,” MOL Drybulk president Kazuhiko Kikuchi said.
“MOL Drybulk’s hard sail technology has the potential to transform the maritime industry, cutting emissions and fuel costs and supporting global efforts to address the climate crisis,” Drax Group chief executive Will Gardiner said.
