Asia/Pacific News
Idemitsu Tankers Taps Norsepower for First VLCC Rotor Sail Installations
Japan's Idemitsu Tanker has signed a first-of-a-kind deal with Norsepower to fit wind propulsion systems on two new very large crude carriers (VLCCs).
Each ship will be fitted with two 35x5 meter Norsepower rotor sails, Norsepower said in a statement on its website on Tuesday.
Norsepower has installed rotor sails on a range of tanker sizes from small chemical tankers to LR vessels, but this will be the first time the systems are used on a VLCC.
"The vessels, which will be built by Japan Marine United Corporation (JMU) and Nihon Shipyard Co., Ltd., (NSY) mark the world-first release of VLCCs to be fitted with rotor sails," the company said.
Wind-assisted propulsion systems are getting popular among shipowners to optimise wind energy to reduce bunker use and emissions.
These systems can be installed on newbuilds and retrofitted in existing ships.
The first ship is scheduled for delivery at the end of 2028.
