Brazilian miner Vale and Omani shipowner Asyad announced a contract to install rotor sails on a Valemax ore carrier, the world’s largest ship of its class.
Valemaxes are 362 meters long, 65 meters wide and able to carry up to 400,000 mt of cargo.
The rotor sails technology was developed by British Anemoi, using wind propulsion to provide energy efficiency gains and reduce emissions.
The adaptation work on the Sohar Max ship is due to be completed in the second quarter of 2024, when trials will begin.
The sails work as auxiliary items to the ship’s main propulsion system, allowing efficiency gains of up to 6 percent and cutting CO2 equivalent emissions by up to 3,000 mt per ship per year.