Interview between Adonis Violaris of CSN and Jukka Kuuskoski, Chief Customer Operations Officer (CCOO) at Norsepower Oy Ltd & Philippos Giannakos, Senior Sales Manager, Shipping Solutions South Europe, Middle East and Africa – NAPA

Jukka, can you provide an overview of Norsepower’s role in the maritime industry and the solutions you offer to ship owners and operators?

Norsepower is bringing sails back to shipping. We are the leading global supplier of mechanical sails for large ships, empowering the owners and operators of ships and their customers to slash their fuel bills and emissions.

The performance of the Norsepower Rotor Sail™ (NPRS™) is proven and trusted by operators and their crews on vessels all over the world. Its impact on fuel and emissions has been verified by independent third parties, revealing average annual savings ranging between 5-25%, or more depending on the rotor sail configuration, wind conditions, operating profile, and ship speed.

Norsepower has consistently helped our customers comply with increasingly stringent environmental regulations in an economically viable manner, including CII and the EU ETS. For each business case, we work closely with the customer to identify the best configuration for them based on the potential savings on each route.

 How many can you put on each vessel?

It depends entirely on the ship size and available deck space. Generally, it ranges from one on a small ship to up to eight NPRS’ on a VLCC.

It’s important to mention that, unlike other wind-assisted propulsion technologies, we chose to modernise the 100-year-old Flettner rotor design because it provides the highest performance and propulsion power relative to unit size. In fact, the NPRS is a relatively small product, like another mast.

And the whole thing is transformed into energy?

It’s a common misconception that the NPRS generates energy; instead, it uses a small amount of electricity from the ship to rotate the cylinders. Then, based on the Magnus effect, when the wind hits the rotating surface, the vessel is propelled forward, much like when a spinning football ball curves in flight.

Using this concept as the foundation, we have incorporated modern methods and materials to optimise reliability, ease of use and performance. Today, we’ve seen cases where the main engine has been switched off, and the ship can achieve seven knots speed solely with the NPRS.

Coming to you now Philippos. Can you provide an overview of NAPA’s role in the maritime industry and the solutions you offer to shipowners and operators?

NAPA is a maritime software and digital services provider that, since 1989, has been harnessing data to enable safer, more sustainable and future-proof shipping.

Our roots are in ship design and our software is used by all the major shipyards and naval architects, with over 90% of new vessels built by NAPA customers. Today, however, our expertise spans the entire lifecycle of a vessel, from design to operations. In an era where data is power, we support ship owners and charterers in optimising the performance of their ships.

There are over 3000 commercial ships globally that sail with NAPA’s safety and efficiency solutions, which include digital ship stability systems that enable a proactive approach to safety at sea, cloud-based performance monitoring that delivers insights to unlock new operational efficiencies, and voyage optimisation solutions that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from every journey at sea.

Since we are on the topic of software, how has NAPA’s approach to maritime software and services evolved over the years? You said that you are 35 years now in the market. What are the trends you are currently observing in the industry right now? Is it going towards AI?

Data is increasingly finding its place at the core of business practices across the maritime industry. This ranges from shipyards, where we are developing 3D workflows that help streamline the design process and classification approvals, to operations at sea, where data powers voyage optimisation and electronic logbooks to enable regulatory and ESG compliance.

The trend towards machine learning, AI and data science will continue. We are already using data-driven approaches in applications as varied as fouling analysis and predicting the CII rating of each vessel for any sea passage and chartering period. Regarding artificial intelligence, we also deploy machine learning in the processing of AIS data, to locate berths and anchorage areas for example.

At a time of growing regulatory complexity, digital technologies are critical to reporting and compliance. NAPA is supporting customers with data verification, streamlining communication between customers and class societies, as well as advising the industry on the regulatory landscape. Furthermore, the insights provided by data-driven simulations are enabling organisations to proactively manage their fleets’ emissions, and therefore abide by commercial targets and comply with tightening regulations. 

Jukka, what are the key challenges that the maritime industry face today? And how can Norsepower address these challenges with your solution?

The big challenge for the industry today is tackling decarbonisation and complying with tightening regulations. There has been a lot of talk about alternative fuels and e-fuels which, of course, are part of the solution. But the big question is always about the price, availability and infrastructure to produce those fuels.

However, when it comes to wind, it is readily available and in abundance. There is no need for infrastructure build-out or technology development- all the foundations are verified and in place.

If we then also consider collaboration with the industry, our ability to create immediate decarbonisation impact becomes clear. Working with companies like NAPA, for example, allows us to test what happens to performance when wind direction changes. We can then evolve discussions to ask how we can optimise performance within these constraints.

We also recently developed a new E-Cal Method, which has been validated by DNV, that is able to more accurately calculate the effective power of the NPRS. With this data, we can better ensure the vessel’s compliance with the latest IMO regulations, reducing the business risk for shipyards, shipping companies, and ship owners.

To put it into perspective, according to ZESTAs, around 40% of shipping’s emissions can be removed by implementing efficiency measures. While the debates around fuel choice and whether the maritime industry is even a viable off-taker continues, companies can make progress now. With this in mind, we urge greater incentivisation from the IMO, local and regional governments to make investing in these enabling technologies even more accessible.

What role does collaboration with classification societies, shipyards, and other industry stakeholders play?

Norsepower: In one word, critical. Decarbonisation is only achievable when there’s close collaboration, exchange of knowledge and shared incentives. This is true for most sectors but is especially relevant to the maritime industry, which is particularly complex. For early-movers this will ultimately deliver, if not exceed, their efficiency and emissions savings goals in the most commercially sustainable way.

Do you get the same approach from all kinds of shipyards, for example, in Japan, Korea, China?

Norsepower: There are some differences. Some see this technology as something that they need to adopt and be a frontrunner in, rather than waiting for others to do it first.

Indeed, shipyards can gain a competitive advantage if they embrace clean technology. When shipowners come and ask for ships that are energy efficient and can use wind to their benefit, then, of course, the shipyard should be able to say, “yes, we can do that,” rather than being uncertain about it.

Can you share a success story or a significant project where Norsepower and NAPA, together or individually, had a notable impact on a maritime operation or a design project?

Norsepower: We have several success stories with shipowners who have been very enthusiastic about the NPRS. We have worked with SEA-CARGO to install two large NPRS’ onboard the SC Connector, mainly operating in the North Sea region where wind conditions are extremely favourable, which is saving about 25% fuel consumption. In addition to this, if we consider that every ton of fuel generates over three tons of CO2, then the 10 tons of fuel and cost saved during every North Sea passing from Norway is considerable.

Today, with years of experience and tests, we are learning a lot about how our sails behave onboard vessels as well as what can be done to improve performance. It is also worth noting that not only are our sails more efficient, but they are also more user-friendly for the crew. They can reduce the rolling acceleration of the ship in heavy sea conditions which has been a benefit we didn’t know about at the beginning.

Philippos, what about NAPA’s involvement?

NAPA has worked with Norsepower to harness the potential of weather routing in conjunction with their rotor sails. In simple terms, wind-assisted ships need wind, so our voyage optimisation system helps captains adapt the ship’s route and speed profile to catch optimal winds to maximise the fuel and emissions savings delivered by their wind propulsion systems, while ensuring safety.

The emissions reduction potential of combining wind propulsion and voyage optimisation was evidenced by our recent joint study with Norsepower and Sumitomo Heavy Industries. This study concluded that 28% emission savings can be made from using these two clean technologies together. The data insights provided through our software mean that charterers can adjust their route in real time to capitalise on the weather and thus make the most of the rotor sails.

Looking ahead, what are the long-term goals for NAPA and for Norsepower in the maritime industry? And how do you envision the evolution of your services and your maritime software?

Norsepower: Looking ahead, the future is bright for wind propulsion in shipping. We’ve identified about 30,000 ships in the global commercial fleet which are technically suitable for rotor sail installation. As long as there is enough deck space and a suitable operating profile, vessels from bulkers and tankers to Ro-Ro and Ro-Pax ships can adopt the NPRS.

Bringing this potential to life will rely on collaboration and I’m happy we have a partner in NAPA that sees eye to eye with us on this.

NAPA: Our solutions are cloud-based, and one of the great things about this is that you can share the same information with multiple stakeholders to collaborate in real-time.

Whether you are an operator, owner or charterer, tapping into a single source of truth that is grounded in data and evidence can help improve compliance with regulations and alleviate the issues of split incentives. It allows stakeholders to establish better trust using a neutral, objective platform where they can develop a shared understanding of how a vessel’s emissions or CII rating evolves throughout the year and what can be done to optimise it. This is where simulation and data analysis tools come in.

One great example of collaboration in action is Blue Visby, which tackles the persisting problem of “Sail Fast Then Wait”. Leveraging NAPA’s technology, Blue Visby introduces a “queueing mechanism” for groups of ships travelling to the same port, which enables them to reduce their speed and arrive one after the other rather than waiting outside congested ports. This is supported by a sharing mechanism that enables stakeholders on each voyage (shipowners, charterers and cargo interests) to share the costs and benefits of the implementation of the Blue Visby Solution, including fuel savings, the costs of a lengthier journey, and the financial value of emissions reductions where applicable.

The last one is a question that I would like you to tell me something that I have missed and that you believe you would like to address it and that you would like to pass it on to Cyprus and Greek market, to our readers. Something that you feel that is important for us to know.

Norsepower: If a ship is equipped with enough wind propulsion capacity and the cargo is something that is not required to arrive ‘just in time’, we’d like to introduce a concept called WISE: When It’s Sustainable Enough. This means that you use, let’s say, 90% of wind propulsion and you accept the fact that arrival time can be a few days delayed.

If the logistic chain can accommodate that, it will make shipping much more sustainable from an emissions and energy efficiency point of view. We can now already see this willingness with customers like Louis Dreyfus Armateurs SAS, who have agreed to install NPRS across their new low-emission RoRo fleet to be chartered to Airbus.

Because they have their whole logistics chain under their own control, they can adjust the conditions and minimise their energy use. They believe in the power of the wind and want to continue to harness it to save fuel and the planet.

NAPA: With more ship owners embracing wind-propulsion systems to reach their decarbonisation targets, those owners are also seeking to get the maximum possible benefit from their wind-assisted systems. It’s important to remember that harnessing wind power is as much about digital technology as it is about the physical sail to get the most benefit from the investment.

In a competitive market with many providers, performance data and simulations on how a wind-assisted propulsion system will perform on specific routes will be critical to predict the potential dollar savings and emission reductions. Accurate data and models are essential to give owners the full picture of what wind can achieve for them and, therefore, enable the industry to progress with confidence.