Seatrade maritime Anemoi launches LR-validated wind propulsion performance system

Anemoi, which has rotor sail installations on a range of vessels including some of the world’s largest bulk carriers, has unveiled a methodology approved by Lloyd’s Register (LR), to assure shipowners and operators of the fuel and emissions-saving performance of Wind Assisted Propulsion Systems (WAPS).

The methodology has now been tested jointly by Anemoi and LR over a 12-month period on board the 82,408 dwt Kamsarmax bulk carrier, TR Lady. The Tufton-owned vessel is on charter to grain house, Cargill, and managed by Hamburg-headquartered Zeabourn.

With three five-metre diameter, 24-metre high rotor sails, the Anemoi system clocked up average net propulsion fuel savings of 9.1% over a series of voyages. This equates to seven tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per sailing day, the company disclosed.  

The verification system is designed to analyse data collected on board vessels according to ISO standards, enabling the impact of WAPS on ships’ dynamic behaviour to be quantified. Existing models can be calibrated through ‘on-off testing’. Switch the WAPS on, allow the vessel to settle into a new equilibrium, then turn it off, Anemoi explained in a statement.

This process establishes a range of vessel ‘behaviours’ across a broad range of operating conditions without diverting the ship from its schedule. The approach includes normalising results and accounts for variables such as wind strength. In so doing, a large percentage of test results can be used to verify WAPS efficacy with increasingly reliable results.