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Wind assisted propulsion technologies are just what is needed today as they have, ultimately, the biggest fuel saving potential of all retrofittable technologies that are on the market at the moment, claims Tuomas Riski CEO and partner of Norsepower, a Finnish marine wind propulsion system developer. There can be no denying that the uptake of wind tech in the last 18 months has been dramatic, as evidenced in the volume of related headlines on the Splash site. Norsepower rotor sail solutions are a push-button wind propulsion system said to be around 10 times more efficient than a conventional sail with no need for reefing or crew attention when in operation. In 2014, Norsepower was the first maritime company to deliver a commercial wind-assist technology, installing two small rotor sails on Bore's 9,700 dwt roro . The ship operates on a route between Rotterdam and Teesport, and the rotor sails reduced average fuel consumption by 6.1%. The company has since gone on to develop a solid track record for achieving fuel and emissions reductions on a range of other vessels. The industry needs to take a more holistic approach and re-write the rule book on commercial agreements The potential of rotor sails to reduce fuel consumption, and therefore emissions can be increased further if they are used in conjunction with smart weather routing and voyage planning systems, which in Norsepower's case was the software provided by compatriot services and data analysis expert NAPA. "We pioneered the exploration of integrating wind propulsion with other solutions, and the combined offer has the potential to increase performance dramatically," asserts Riski. For Riski, a serial entrepreneur who has had a successful career as a partner and vice president of Innofactor, the largest Finnish IT service provider focusing on Microsoft technology, the shipping industry is transforming quickly and for innovation to scale and truly have a transformational, positive impact, it needs the right supporting infrastructure, frameworks and mindsets. He believes the industry needs to challenge the conventional thinking around clean technology investment as it is a market that has often been characterised by investments in one single technology, with investment decisions often decided upon on outdated payback algorithms. Still, Riski is optimistic that the challenges around demonstrating shorter payback periods and return on investment will be eradicated in the near term, driven by the higher prices of alternative, cleaner fuels, the implementation of the European ETS and the urgency to meet incoming IMO regulations. But that aside, he argues that the industry still needs to take a "more holistic approach and re-write the rule book" on commercial agreements with charterers and shippers and also define "new payback structures with financiers and explore co-operative arrangements between tech firms." Relationships and collaboration between technology providers and shipyards are essential to ensure that shipowners can access the technology needed to make impactful savings and install the technology that is most suited to the vessel profile. Norsepower has done lots of work over the years to optimise these aspects. "The installation process needs simplifying at each stage, including for planning dry-dock installations or during builds. Globally, shipyards are inundated with technology installation projects and newbuilds are consistently delayed. Shipowners need more timely quotes and real-time visibility of shipyard availability to ease planning headaches – and this is something that we can provide,” Riski says. In terms of where Norsepower technology fits into potential future fuels, Riski reckons that while the alternative fuels debate rages on, their inevitable expense will support the business case for investing in wind-assist technologies or other fuel-saving devices to reduce fuel use and further lower emissions. In the meantime, the company is looking to combine rotor sails with a range of other solutions such as optimised propeller technologies, power management systems, hull and energy optimisation, propulsion drive train products, power take-off and take-in systems, and energy storage systems that can "deliver enhanced value to the shipowner". The goal for the Norsepower boss is "to completely dominate the global auxiliary wind-propulsion market". The company is developing its delivery capacity to meet a targeted €100m turnover in 2025. It recently announced a contract for delivery of rotor sails onboard two LNG-powered, wind-assisted CO2 carriers under construction at Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co for the Northern Lights JV. The solutions should reduce the fuel costs and CO₂ emissions from each vessel by approximately 5%. Riski expects the market for wind propulsion to grow rapidly, and Norsepower to grow right along with it. "The ability to harness the wind to reduce fuel consumption is a natural next step for shipping. If 20,000 existing vessels were retrofitted with Norsepower’s rotor sails, it would reduce the carbon emissions of the global maritime fleet by about 5%," he concludes.

No longer hot air

Tuomas Riski from Norsepower reckons wind’s time has come for merchant shipping.

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