The Danish ferry operator Scandlines has installed a Norsepower rotor sail on another ferry. The company is increasingly focussing on wind-assisted propulsion systems in order to reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gases.
Since 2013, Scandlines has invested more than 300 million euros in the construction and conversion of conventional ferries into hybrid ferries. On the hybrid ferry "Copenhagen", which operates on the Rostock-Gedser route between Germany and Denmark, the ferry operator installed its first Norsepower Rotor Sail in 2020, which has been proven to achieve an average CO2 reduction of four per cent - on days with optimal wind conditions even up to 20 per cent.
With the aim of becoming emission-free by 2040, Scandlines has now decided to install a Norsepower Rotor Sail on a second ship, the hybrid ferry M/V Berlin. The Rotor Sail - a 30 metre high, rotating cylinder - was installed on the "Berlin" in Rostock harbour, with the ship only having to be out of service for a few hours.
Magnus effect on the Flettner rotor. Graphic: commons.wikimedia.org
Norsepower Rotor Sails are a modern version of the Flettner rotor that utilises the Magnus effect to generate additional propulsion to the engine power. When the wind hits the spinning rotor sail, the airflow is accelerated on one side of the rotor sail and decelerated on the opposite side. The change in the speed of the airflow leads to a pressure difference, which generates a lift force that is perpendicular to the direction of the wind flow.
After consulting experts, the system is not without its disadvantages. Of course, the Flettner could not be used against and in front of the wind. Due to the subsequent construction, the stability of the "carriage" is not always sufficient. There are also complaints about shaking and vibrations due to the leverage effect of the upright rotor.
All initial difficulties: it will work out!
English 
German
0 Kommentare