Wind-assisted Propulsion for World's Largest Ore Carrier

November 8, 2023

Vale is to install five Rotor Sails from Anemoi onboard the VLOC Sohar Max to bring significant fuel and emission savings. The Rotor Sails will be installed with Anemoi's bespoke folding deployment system to mitigate the impact on air draught and cargo handling operations. Credit: Anemoi Marine Technologies

Brazilian mining firm Vale will install five Rotor Sails from Anemoi Marine Technologies Ltd (“Anemoi”), a supplier of wind-assisted propulsion technology for commercial vessels, onboard a 400,000 dwt Valemax, the world’s largest ore carrier. The vessel is owned by Omani shipowner, Asyad.

Five 35-meter-tall, 5-meter-diameter cylindrical sails will be installed on the Sohar Max VLOC.

The Rotor Sails will be installed on Anemoi’s folding deployment system, whereby the sails can be folded from vertical to mitigate impact on air draft and cargo handling operations. The installation work is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2024.

Rotor Sails, also known as ‘Flettner Rotors’, are vertical cylinders that harness the renewable power of the wind to provide additional forward thrust and improve the energy efficiency of the vessel, along with significant cuts to carbon emissions.

Vale’s fleet of Valemax vessels typically trade on deep-sea routes between Brazil, China and the Middle East, which are particularly well-suited for wind propulsion and analysing the savings. As a result, the installation of Anemoi Rotor Sails is expected to bring significant fuel and emission savings with an expected 6% fuel reduction and cutting CO2 equivalent emissions by up to 3,000 tons per ship per year.

Of the installation, Vale’s Shipping Technical Manager, Rodrigo Bermelho, said, “Wind energy will play a central role in our strategy to decarbonise the maritime transportation of iron ore.”Credit: Anemoi Marine Technologies

Anemoi has a supply chain in China for manufacturing and delivering its Rotor Sails, partnering with CSSC Chengxi (China State Shipbuilding Corporation), Lianyungang Zhongfu Lianzhong Composite Material Group Co. Ltd, CRRC Corporation Ltd and SaierNico Electric & Automation Ltd.

Anemoi has also been appointed by Vale to undertake a full array of technical services both pre- and post-delivery, including vessel integration design with SDARI (Shanghai Ship Design and Research Institute), support with plan A approval, project management and onsite supervision, onboard training, and after-sales services.

Classification for the project will be awarded by Lloyd Register, which is also providing services related to the Equipment Design Approval and Plan Approvals for vessel integration.

This latest project from Anemoi follows the retrofit of three Rotor Sails with Rail Deployment Systems onboard an 82,000 dwt Kamsarmax bulk carrier in June 2023. According to Anemoi, initial data harvested from the vessel to date suggests more than 10% average annual savings can be achieved.

"Rotor Sails are proving a popular choice for ship owners looking for net-zero technologies to improve the energy efficiency of their vessels and help their ships meet critical international emission reduction targets, including EEDI/ EEXI and the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII)," Anemoi said.

Credit: Anemoi Marine Technologies