Norsepower, a global market leader in mechanical sails for large ships, has announced that the installation of one Norsepower Rotor Sail™ onboard the bulk carrier Yodohime has been successfully completed. The installation work was carried out at a dockyard in December 2024 and the first voyage after the installation was successfully completed this month.
The 2016-built bulk carrier Yodohime undertook her first voyage after the installation successfully in January 2025.
The 24m x 4m Norsepower Rotor Sail is a wind propulsion system which was installed on the forecastle deck of the vessel.
It utilises the latest AI technology to automatically control the rotation, direction, and speed of the rotor sail using real-time meteorological information, such as wind direction and wind speed, detected by sensors.
The Magnus effect generated when wind meets the rotating cylindrical sail produces a powerful thrust which, in combination with the voyage optimization system, is expected to reduce fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions by approximately 6-10%.
This is the second vessel for IINO LINES to be equipped with Norsepower Rotor Sails, following the installation onboard the Very Large Gas Carrier (VLGC) Oceanus Aurora last November.
The company will continue to actively promote initiatives for clean marine transport services in order to become carbon neutral in line with the theme set out in the mid-term management plan, “The Adventure to Our Sustainable Future.”
