Four Union Maritime newbuilds to get Norsepower wind propulsion

The 18,500 dwt chemical tankers designed by Shanghai Odely Marine Engineering Co to operate on the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes in the US will be fitted with two Rotor Sails each.

As well as installing Rotor Sails on the four ships, which will be built at Fujian Southeast Shipbuilding Ltd. and Wuhu Shipyard Co. Ltd., eight Union Maritime vessels will be built rotor sail ready to make retrofitting the sytem easier in the future.  

“This is a significant milestone for Norsepower, as we continue to lead the way in sustainable shipping solutions,” said Heikki Pöntynen, CEO of Norsepower. “With this deal, we will be fitting a total of eight Norsepower Rotor Sails on four vessels in the short term, with an additional orderbook of eight sister ships to be prepared with foundations for later retrofit. This represents a major step forward in our mission to decarbonise the maritime industry.”

Bhuvnesh Dogra, Head of Technical at Union Maritime Limited, said: “UML has been a leading proponent of wind propulsion, and it has become a key part of our propulsion energy optimisation strategy. We are excited to partner with Norsepower to integrate their innovative products into our fleet, enhancing our sustainability efforts.”

Union Maritime recently committed to install windpower on 34 ships across its fleet, including BAR Technologies' WindWings. Union Maritime is working on a significant strategic equity investment into BAR Technologies.

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