Norsepower to deliver rotor sails for six eco-friendly chemical tanker newbuilds

Finnish cleantech company Norsepower is set to supply six units of its wind propulsion solution for a total of six newbuilding tankers commissioned by Germany’s GEFO Shipping Group.

As disclosed, under the terms of the agreement that the two companies have signed, Norsepower will provide its rotor sails for a pair of 7,900 dwt chemical tankers and a quartet of 3,850 dwt units from the same segment.

The vessels are currently being built by China’s Nantong Xiangyu Shipbuilding, with handovers due between 2026 and 2028. The deal reportedly marks the first contract inked between the three parties.

Norsepower representatives have highlighted that the sextet has received support from the German government’s Namkue Fund (Nachhaltige Modernisierung von Küstenschiffen), a financial instrument issued by the country’s Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport that aims to promote eco-friendly coastal maritime transportation and speed up the development and production of decarbonisation technologies.

It has also been noted that the tankers’ design belongs to the German naval architecture firm SDC Ship Design & Consult.

According to Norsepower, the 3,850 dwt tankers will be outfitted with one 20mx4m rotor sail each, while the 7,900 dwt newbuilds are planned to be equipped with one 28mx4m rotor sail each. All six rotor sails will boast Norsepower’s EX-compliant design, which the company said has been certified for application on ships moving flammable cargo, and compliant with all class and safety requirements.

In addition to this, GEFO will have access to the Norsepower Digital Dimension, allowing the company to utilize the AI-enabled Norsepower Sentient Control system and the cloud-based data infrastructure of Norsepower Cloud. As explained, this ecosystem facilitates real-time performance optimization, predictive maintenance, and full transparency on emissions savings.

As informed, the solutions will be manufactured at Norsepower’s dedicated factory in China, which was inaugurated in late November 2024.

In April this year, Norsepower also joined forces with China’s COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry Equipment (Nantong) (CHIC) to accelerate the serial production, sales, installation, and service of its rotor sails in the region.

The Finnish technology player’s representatives unveiled that this partnership would endeavor to offer shipping companies some practical, cost-effective options to cut fuel consumption and slash greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.