The first of Union Maritime’s planned wind-assisted vessels, 18,500-dwt tanker Buran, has departed on its maiden voyage from China to Singapore, marking the commercial introduction of the company’s AeroPower fleet.
The 34-vessel programme, which includes six chemical tankers, will see Norsepower Rotor Sails installed across the fleet, with wind-assisted propulsion (WAP) expected to supply up to 10% of each ship’s annual energy requirements.
According to Union Maritime, the Rotor Sails on the small clean tanker Buran alone are forecast to reduce fuel consumption by around 300 tonnes annually, cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 940 tonnes.
Union Maritime managing director Laurent Cadji said Buran represented “the first of many vessels that will cement our position as leaders in wind-assisted shipping.” He described the adoption of the Norseposer Rotor Sails as a deliberate response to changing industry requirements, stating the technology “not only delivers environmental gains but also unlocks commercial opportunities.”
Buran is the first fully operational vessel in the AeroPower programme, a project led by Union Maritime to advance the practical deployment of WAP at fleet scale. The technology’s impact has been assessed using real voyage data, including digital simulations based on an earlier sister vessel configured in a ‘wind-ready’ state. In collaboration with Ascenz Marorka, Union Maritime developed a digital twin that allowed it to model real routes under different conditions. A comparison between shortest-distance and wind-optimised routeing showed a marked difference: the rotor sail-equipped vessel achieved a 6.5% reduction in CO2 emissions on a wind-optimised path, compared with a 3.1% reduction on the shortest route.
The analysis also found emissions transport intensity – measured in grams per tonne-nautical mile (g/t-NM) – fell from 9.9 to 9.0 g/t-NM when the wind-optimised route was used. In regulatory terms, Buran qualifies for the maximum reward factor under FuelEU Maritime, due to the relative scale of its rotor sail installation. The vessel is expected to remain compliant with EU requirements through to 2030, without the need to invest in alternative fuels.
The reduction in emissions also allows Union Maritime to reduce its exposure under the EU Emissions Trading System. With lower overall emissions, fewer EU Allowances will be required, contributing to direct operational cost savings.
Crew training for the AeroPower programme is being delivered in partnership with the Warsash Maritime Simulation Centre at Solent University in Southampton. A full training module has been developed to simulate both the physical layout and the operational dynamics of the Norsepower Rotor Sails, with crews exposed to a range of scenarios from adverse weather to confined navigation.
Source: Riviera
