Nor-Shipping announced that Tuomas Riski, CEO of Norsepower, has been awarded its “Young Entrepreneur of the Year” award for 2017, for his innovative rotor sail solutions, which has the potential to deliver fuel and emissions savings of up to 20% in favourable wind conditions. Flettner rotor is a spinning wind-powered cylinder to harness wind energy and propel ships, suitable for both newbuilds and retrofitting.
The award, a joint initiative of Nor-Shipping with YoungShip, focuses on innovators under 40, working to address critical industry issues.
Nor-Shipping Director, Birgit Liodden, sees the company’s technology as a potential game-changer for the shipping industry, as the latter deals with increasing cost and environmental restrictions.
He commented: “It ranks as the first proven commercially available auxiliary propulsion system that can harness natural wind power in this way. As such it has the potential to not only drive forward single vessels, but also our entire industry’s sustainability credentials.”
The 38 year-old Finn was chosen from a final shortlist, that included Joel Spark, Co-Founder of Spire, Xeneta CEO Patrik Berglund, and Christine Spiten, Co-Founder of Blueye Robotics.
Richard Hayfield, Secretary General of YoungShip, noted that it was difficult to select a winner, as this year, contenders achieved great things in the industry.
He stated: “After much deliberation we chose a winner that showed a true entrepreneurial spirit, inventiveness and drive to succeed. The jury unanimously agreed Tuomas Riski should take this year’s award.”
However, Hayfield also praised all the contenders for their achievements, such as Christine Spiten, Co-Founder Blueye Robotics, which has taken underwater drones from prototype to a marketable product, pushing the boundaries of drone technology within the maritime sector. He also highlighted the work of Patrik Berglund, Xeneta and Joel Spark, Spire, who led the way in showing how access to faster information and big data continue to change the maritime industry.
