The M/S Viking Grace will start her first voyage as 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.
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.
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Viking Grace is fuelled with LNG and has very low emissions and noise levels. The new Rotor Sail will only boost her environmental credentials.
Ahead of the new environmental regulations, the concept of rotor sails has gained much interest in the maritime community. This is further fueled by the advancements in manufacturing, material and technological solutions.
Viking Line will also install two Norsepower Rotor Sails onboard a newbuild cruise ferry vessel which is currently being built in China and is expected to start operatios in 2020.
