Norsepower has successfully completed sea trials of its new wind propulsion technology for ships, Rotor Sail Solution, with Finnish Ro-Ro shipping company Bore.

Verified by NAPA and supported by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the sea trial confirmed fuel savings of 2.6% using a single, small Rotor Sail on a route in the North Sea.

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The Norsepower Rotor Sail Solution is an upgraded version of the Flettner rotor; a spinning cylinder that uses the Magnus effect to harness wind power to propel a ship.

"Wind technologies are commercially viable solutions that reduce fuel and carbon emissions in the industry."

The solution was installed on the 9,700dwt Ro-Ro carrier, MS Estraden, which is owned by Bore. The vessel operated between the Netherlands and the UK, cruising at speeds of 16k.

Norsepower CEO Tuomas Riski said: "The successful trials of our wind technology are a ground-breaking moment not only for Norsepower, and also the wider development of wind propulsion technology for shipping.

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"The results suggest that when Norsepower’s technology is implemented at scale, it can produce up to 20% net savings in fuel costs with a payback period of less than four years at current fuel prices, confirming that wind technologies are commercially viable solutions that reduce fuel and carbon emissions in the industry."

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The companies believe that a full system on Estraden with two rotors has the potential to deliver 5% efficiency savings on an ongoing basis. Norsepower said it is expecting savings of 20% for vessels with multiple, large rotors travelling in favourable wind routes.

VTT Technical Research Centre has collected data more than a six-month period and it showed that both the Rotor Sail technology and automation system remained operational 99% of the time. It showed that rotor is capable of producing large amounts of thrust force that will result in considerable fuel savings.