British engineering company Anemoi Marine Technologies, the Flettner Rotor innovator, has appointed Kim Diederichsen as CEO with the aim to take the company’s wind assisted propulsion systems to the global market.
Diederichsen aims to offer Anemoi his commercial experience and practical knowledge of seafaring, having started his career at sea and qualifying as a master mariner; as well as with his previous post as CEO of Bawat A/S, a Danish based company supplying ballast water management systems and SVP at Remora, where he was responsible for sales of deep-water loading and mooring systems.
On accepting the appointment, Kim Diederichsen highlighted that “this comes at a time when the industry is focusing on its environmental footprint and working hard to find solutions to satisfy IMO’s carbon reduction ambitions.” Adding that
It’s my job to support and lead the team that will transition Anemoi from a technical innovator to a fully-fledged commercial supplier of wind propulsion systems. I am hugely excited to be on board.”
Anemoi’s solution is based on the shipboard installation of Flettner Rotors which benefits from the aerodynamic phenomenon known as the Magnus Effect to provide useful propulsion to the vessel by harnessing wind power in order to enhance vessel efficiency, reducing net fuel consumption and further limit harmful exhaust emissions.
Moreover, its patented deployment system allows the rotors to be moved along the deck and clear cargo handling gear preventing any impact on port operations. Anemoi has successfully advanced Flettner Rotor technology, accelerating its adoption across the world’s merchant fleet and proving it can work for a sustainable future of shipping.
Unlike other similar solutions, this makes the Anemoi product suitable for bulkers, tankers, roros and other vessel types. Notably, Anemoi was the recent recipient of the Lloyd’s List “Ship of the Year” Award for the first successful installation of a Flettner Rotor system on the MV Afros, a geared dry bulk carrier.
The company is now aiming to widen its reach to offer its patented energy saving technology to a global audience of tanker, bulker, roro and other vessel owners.
The Anemoi chairman, Dimitri Goulandris, welcomed Diederichsen, saying that “identifying alternative energy sources for ships is fast becoming top of the corporate agenda for all responsible shipping companies.” Mr. Goulandris further commented that
With Kim leading our team, I am confident we will see Anemoi rapidly become the go-to supplier of wind assisted propulsion systems world-wide. He has the background and experience to take Anemoi on the next stage of its journey and I am delighted he has accepted the challenge.
In the last GREEN4SEA Athens Forum, Mr. Nick Contopoulos, Director at ANEMOI, talked about the introduction of world’s first bulk carrier installed with a Flettner Rotor system in January 2018, proving that this fuel and emission reduction technology can be viable for commercial shipping. Mr. Contopoulos namely presented a case study detailing the challenges, the equipment and the Big Data application of their system, as well as Anemoi’s approach to profiling and identifying early adopters that will yield the greatest benefits from installing this technology.
