Canadian miner Teck Resources and German dry bulk giant Oldendorff Carriers will install Flettner rotors on a ship which carries shipments of Teck steelmaking coal from the port of Vancouver.
The Dietrich Oldendorff post-panamax will sport the new kit by the middle of next year.
The addition of the rotors, along with other emission savings measures, is expected to reduce emissions by 55% resulting in an annual reduction of over 17,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions, according to a release from the two companies.
“This innovative agreement to utilise wind power in shipping will reduce the carbon footprint in Teck’s supply chain and help advance the development of green transportation corridors,” said Jonathan Price, president and CEO of Teck.
Patrick Hutchins, CEO of Oldendorff Carriers, added, “The energy transition has begun, and we are prepared to make the necessary joint investments that will provide a meaningful reduction of emissions. Forty years of historical weather data show that the trade between the Pacific Northwest and Asia is one of the best trade lanes for producing reliable wind energy.”
Manufactured by Norsepower, the rotors are constructed in part with recycled materials from approximately 342,000 plastic bottles.
Teck and Oldendorff are also currently piloting the use of biofuel on another bulk carrier as another means to lower emissions.
I used to think that Oldendorff was a name associated with seriousness in ship owning and operations.
If I was looking for a definition of “greenwashing” I doubt if I could do better than the installation of Flettner rotors – a century old idea which never worked well enough to pull the skin off a rice pudding – and not any old Flettner rotors but Flettner rotors -get this – made from recycled plastic bottles – on the deck of a ship that carries coking coal.
Oldendorff – a company that I used to respect – have made themselves ridiculous.
I really wish you good luck.It is coming deeply by my hearth.Hope it will not end like Mercedes innovations…