Norsepower seals largest wind-assist contract to date

French shipowner Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) will install Norsepower Rotor Sails on a new low-emission roro fleet to be chartered to Airbus.

The Norsepower Rotor Sail is a modernised version of the old Flettner rotor concept that uses electric power to actively rotate the cylinder-shaped rotors on the deck. 

The new low-emission vessels, which will be used to ship aircraft components for Airbus, will each be powered by a combination of six 35 m tall Norsepower sails and two dual- fuel engines running on maritime diesel oil and e-methanol. China’s Wuchang Shipbuilding is building the three ships.

“While the IMO has set challenging targets to bring shipping to net-zero, wind propulsion is considered as a viable element of the sustainable energy mix for seagoing ships,” said Mathieu Muzeau, transport and logistic general manager at Louis Dreyfus Armateurs.

By 2030, for the transatlantic route, the new fleet will generate approximately 50% fewer CO2 emissions compared to 2023. The rotor sails will feature the brand new patented Norsepower Sentient Control, a real-time force measurement, control and savings reporting system, enabling each rotor to be controlled individually.

Tuomas Riski, CEO of Norsepower, commented: “This fleet-wide deal is a game changer for the whole auxiliary wind propulsion industry. Firstly, it is the biggest deal ever made in the mechanical sails market – and, in a world first, it includes our brand new Norsepower SentientControl tool.”