Viking Line’s M/S Viking Grace has been fitted with a rotor sail for the utilization of wind power, becoming the world’s first passenger ship to feature the technology. The rotor sail developed by Finnish company Norsepower Viking Line’s M/S Viking Grace has been fitted with a rotor sail for the utilization of wind power, becoming the world’s first passenger ship to feature the technology. Source: Viking LineOy is expected to cut fuel consumption and also reduce carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 900 metric tons annually.

The unit is nearly 24 m (79 feet high) and about 4 m (13 feet) in diameter, and is automated: it will shut down if there are disadvantageous changes in the wind’s force or direction. The cylindrical rotor sail is a modernized version of the Flettner rotor — a spinning cylinder that uses the Magnus effect to harness wind power to propel a ship.

The LNG-fueled Viking Grace is now deployed on wind-assisted voyages between Turku, Finland, and Stockholm, Sweden. Viking Line plans to install two Norsepower Rotor Sails onboard a new-build cruise ferry vessel that is currently being built in China and due to be operational in 2020.