KONGSBERG Maritime and wind propulsion system supplier Norsepower have signed an agreement to facilitate the integration of wind power to new and existing vessels in diverse maritime markets.
The collaboration between the two companies will facilitate the addition of wind propulsion to KM’s integrated power and propulsion systems.
Under the MoU, ship owners and shipyards will be able to choose between fully integrated systems, or solutions incorporating stand-alone products.
KM already offers integrated equipment packages comprising advanced propellers, power management, energy optimisation, propulsion drive train products, power take off and take in (PTO/PTI) systems, and energy storage.
By teaming up with Norsepower, KM adds wind propulsion to its portfolio of strategies to facilitate greener operations, aided by its innovative controllable pitch propeller (CPP) solutions, which can easily manage the variable power delivered by rotor sail systems.
Oskar Levander, SVP business concepts at Kongsberg Maritime said, “There is an increasing demand for the use of modern wind propulsion in shipping, and we are excited to work with Norsepower to deliver this.
“Together we will offer support to shipowners and shipyards looking for the most efficient and effective ways of applying rotor sail technology, and collaborate on new ship designs to integrate these technologies and improve energy efficiency overall.”
The rotor sail solution is fully automated and detects whenever the wind is strong enough to deliver fuel and emission savings, at which point the rotor sails start automatically. Norsepower has completed six installations to date, including the latest installation of five tilting rotor sails on a bulker.
Tuomas Riski, CEO, Norsepower said, “As the industry combines clean technology solutions to accelerate progress towards reaching net zero, it is important that the optimal design points are considered on installation for all systems.
“This partnership will help fast-track optimising operations for shipowners and yards developing complete solutions.”
