Socatra to Install Rotor Sails on Its MR Tanker Alcyone

French ship owner and operator Socatra has signed a contract with auxiliary wind propulsion systems manufacturer Norsepower for the retrofit installation of two Norsepower Rotor Sails️ on the medium range (MR) tanker Alcyone.

The 50,000 dwt, 2022 built, French flag tanker - chartered by global energy company TotalEnergies – will be retrofitted with two 35 m x 5 m Norsepower Rotor Sails. The units will be delivered in December 2023 from Norsepower’s new production hub in China, with installation scheduled for Q4 2023 or Q1 2024.

According to Norsepower, recent calculations indicate that the average fuel and carbon emission reductions will be 8% for the ship as it transits between South Korea and French Polynesia, with the potential for further savings using voyage optimization reaching up to 2,000 tons of CO2 per annum.