Brazilian mining company, Vale, has announced a deal to install 35-metre Rotor Sails on board a 400,000 dwt very large ore carrier (VLOC). The agreement between Vale and wind-assisted propulsion supplier Anemoi will see five 35m tall, 5m diameter, Flettner rotors installed on the Sohar Max VLOC, which is owned by Omani shipowner Asyad.
The Rotor Sails will be installed on Anemoi’s bespoke folding deployment system, whereby the sails can be folded from 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.
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.
Classification for the project will be awarded by Lloyd’s Register, who are also providing services related to the Equipment Design Approval and Plan Approvals for vessel integration.
The Motorship notes that Vale has gained operational experience with bulk vessels equipped with rotor sails since the delivery of the Sea Zoushan in 2021. Anemoi successfully concluded the retrofit of three Rotor Sails with Rail Deployment Systems onboard an 82,000 dwt Kamsarmax bulk carrier in June 2023. Initial data harvested from the vessel to date suggest more than 10% average annual savings can be achieved.
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.
Vale’s Shipping Technical Manager, Rodrigo Bermelho, said, “Wind energy will play a central role in our strategy to decarbonise the maritime transportation of iron ore.”
