Vale S.A. has announced that it is to install five Rotor Sails from Anemoi Marine Technologies Ltd (Anemoi), onboard a 400,000 dwt Valemax, the world’s largest ore carrier.
The agreement between Vale and Anemoi will see five 35 m tall, 5m in diameter, cylindrical sails installed on the Sohar Max VLOC. The Rotor Sails will be installed on Anemoi’s bespoke folding deployment system, whereby the sails can be folded from the vertical to mitigate impact on air draught and cargo handling operations. The installation work is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2024.
Rotor Sails, also known as ‘Flettner Rotors’, are vertical cylinders that harness the renewable power of the wind to provide additional forward thrust and improve the energy efficiency of the vessel, along with significant cuts to carbon emissions.
Vale’s fleet of Valemax vessels typically trade on deep-sea routes between Brazil, China and the Middle East, which are particularly well-suited for wind propulsion and analysing the savings.
As a result, the installation of Anemoi Rotor Sails is expected to bring significant fuel and emission savings with an expected 6% fuel reduction and cutting CO2 equivalent emissions by up to 3,000 tons per ship per year, Anemoi noted.
Wind energy will play a central role in our strategy to decarbonize the maritime transportation of iron ore.
… said Rodrigo Bermelho, Vale’s Shipping Technical Manager
Anemoi has also been appointed by Vale to undertake a full array of technical services both pre and post delivery including the vessel integration design with SDARI (Shanghai Ship Design and Research Institute), support with Plan Approval, Project Management and onsite Supervision, Onboard Training and After Sales Services to name a few.
Classification for the project will be awarded by Lloyd’s Register, who are also providing services related to the Equipment Design Approval and the Plan Approvals for vessel integration.
To remind, Anemoi has also recently entered into a Joint Design Cooperation Agreement with Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Group, for the design of Rotor Sails onboard two LNG carrier newbuildings.
This latest project signifies an important step in Vale’s decarbonisation journey, using wind assisted propulsion as they lead the way to improve the energy efficiency of their vessels and reduce their net emissions.
