Scandlines installs wind assisted propulsion unit on ferry

The system is expected to deliver between 4% to 5% fuel savings.

Scandlines has installed a new Norsepower Rotor Sail on the MV Copenhagen, the hybrid ferry operating on the Rostock-Gedser route between Germany and Denmark. The installation was undertaken as part of the EU funded Wind Assisted Ship Propulsion (WASP) project that was launched in late 2019.  

The project’s aim is to install five wind assisted propulsion units on to a series of different vessels operating in the North Sea and Baltic Sea to test, validate and help facilitate the uptake off wind-assisted propulsion technologies. These systems are expected to deliver between 4% to 5% fuel savings, corresponding to the same amount of CO2, in average, and more than 20% in optimal wind conditions.

The necessary steel foundation (21 tons) for the Rotor Sail (42 tons) was put in place during an ordinary yard stay back in November 2019. The installation of the Norsepower supplied Rotor Sail itself, the 30-meter rotor was installed on the vessel during an overnight stay in the port of Rostock.

This is key as the senior captain of the MV Copenhagen Alan Bach explained: “We were able to complete almost everything within the limited time of just a few hours. This was key as we are operating on a 24/7 basis, every loss of service or revenue is naturally critical for ferry operations.”

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