KR(IACS member classification society), Pan Ocean(global Korean ship owner) and POS SM(global Korean shipmanager) have signed a “Joint Research Agreement for Rotor Sail Systems and Air Lubrication Systems”. This joint research represents a further step towards realizing the environmental obligations of the shipping industry and is part of the wider “New Technology Joint Research Agreement” signed earlier by the three partners.
Under the new agreement, the three partners have agreed to work together to “establish the efficiency derivation achieved from rotor sails and air lubrication systems”. The aim is to verify efficiency and fuel savings through analyzing actual operational data analysis and, in particular, from a brand-new rotor sail installation on VLOC Sea Zhoushan.
Pan Ocean has recently fitted five 24m high rotor sails to a newbuild 325,000 DWT VLOC – Sea Zhoushan. A rotor sail is a cylindrical tower that when rotated in optimum wind conditions will create forward thrust for the vessel resulting in fuel savings of around 6-8% as well as a reduction in associated emissions. The system is an eco-friendly auxiliary technology which is simple to install.
IMO continues to introduce more stringent environmental regulations in order to meet the goal of reducing greenhouse gas(GHG) emissions by 50% and carbon intensity by 70% by 2050, compared with 2008 levels. As a result, major shipping nations, such as South Korea, and the global maritime sector as a whole, are working on a series of measures such as the introduction of eco-friendly rotor sails and the use of eco-friendly alternative fuels to help comply with the new regulations.