The push to cut greenhouse gas emissions through wind-assisted ship propulsion continues to gain traction after Anemoi is set to install rotor sails on a pair of two newbuild chemical tankers under construction for Union Maritime Limited.
The shipowner Union Maritime is teaming up with Anemoi Marine Technologies, a UK-based designer of rotor sails for wind-assisted ship propulsion, for the installation of rotor sails on two 18,500-dwt vessels on order at Wuhu Shipyard Co in China.
The rotor sails are set to be installed at Wuhu in early 2026 after construction at Anemoi’s production facility in China.
The newbuild vessels will feature a combination of technologies and retrofit readiness to safeguard cost-effective decarbonisation across their lifecycle.
The tankers will each have two 3.5m-diameter rotor sails, with heights of 20.5m and 24m, respectively. The rotor sails will be EX-rated, fulfilling the safety requirements for use on vessels carrying potentially explosive substances.
Vessel and rotor sail integration design was conducted by China-based ship design and engineering consultancy Odely Marine.
“Integrating Anemoi Rotor Sails from the outset showcases what can be achieved when innovative owners commit to wind-assisted propulsion. This project highlights the strong operational benefits of our technology and sets a new benchmark for efficient, future-ready chemical tankers,” said Clare Urmston, chief executive officer of Anemoi.
Recently, Anemoi completed the retrofit on another large vessel after installing five 35m-tall units on the NS United Kaiun Kaisha 400,000-dwt bulk carrier NSU Tubarao.
NSU Tubarao is a 361m length overall, 65m beam very large ore carrier delivered in September 2020.
The vessel is owned by bulk owner/operator NS United Kaiun Kaisha (NSU) and is chartered by mining giant Vale International.
This marks the fourth VLOC installation of Anemoi rotor sails on vessels chartered by Vale.
