LR approved the structure and the risk-assessment related to the installation of a rotor sail on the LNG-fuelled Viking Grace, in line with its Guidance Notes for Flettner Rotor Approval. The approvals aim to ensure that the rotor would not have a negative impact on the safe operation of the ship or the safety of the crew.
The M/S Viking Grace will be the only passenger ship in the world equipped with a Rotor Sail to use wind power for propulsion. Rotol Sail is developed by the Finnish clean technology and engineering company Norsepower Oy, and can reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions by up to 900 tonnes annually.
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The Viking Grace will operate on wind-assisted voyages between Turku (Finland) and Stockholm (Sweden) from April 12th 2018.
The Rotor Sail unit installed on M/S Viking Grace is 24m in height and 4m in diameter, and is a new version of the Flettner rotor; a spinning cylinder that uses the Magnus effect to leverage wind power to propel a ship. The solution is automated and senses when the wind is strong enough to deliver fuel savings, at which point the rotors start automatically optimising crew time and resource.
Viking Grace is fuelled with LNG and has very low emissions and noise levels. The new Rotor Sail will only boost her environmental credentials.
