Maersk to trial 35-metre rotor sail on container ship

Danish shipping company Maersk has commissioned London-based specialist Anemoi to install a 35-metre rotor sail on one of its container ships, the Maersk Labrea. This marks the first time a modern sail will be installed on a container vessel, which typically lack space for such structures due to high container stacks.

The rotor sail, which has a width of five metres, generates power by spinning in the wind. The technology aims to reduce fuel costs and emissions by allowing the vessel to maintain speed with throttled-back engines or increase speed by utilizing wind power. Trials are scheduled to begin next year on trans-Atlantic routes.

Anemoi CEO Clare Urmston noted that if the experiment meets fuel-saving targets, it could lead to a full-scale rollout. The company currently operates a construction site on the Yangtze River near Shanghai, which could be expanded to produce up to 250 sails annually.