Fehn Ship Management’s 4,200 dwt general cargo vessel Fehn Pollux has arrived in Leer for the next stage in the installation of a newly developed sail propulsion system, the Eco Flettner.
Fehn Ship Management, part of the EMS Fehn Group, announced its intention to install the Flettner rotor on board the vessel in 2015, as HLPFI reported here.
Since May 2015, the rotor, which consists of an 18 m high cylinder, has been tested on land ready for the next phase of development.
Co-financed by the Interreg IV A programme, the Eco Flettner uses a range of wind speeds to produce a forward thrust. The rotor is intended to reduce fuel consumption and harmful emissions; as the sailing power increases, the engine power can be reduced.
In addition to the Emden/Leer University of Applied Sciences, which partners with the project scientifically and the Maritime Competence Center (Mariko) as the lead partner, several companies form the region are involved in the project.
“We are all very pleased that this project is going into its realisation phase," said Matthias Hesse, managing director of Fehn Ship Management. "We have been working on alternative ship propulsion systems for a long time, so we immediately agreed when we were asked by Mariko in Leer if we wanted to participate in the project. We have already invested a lot of time in this project and we will do our part to make the test a success.”
Simualtion modelling undertaken by the University of Emden/Leer to investigate the influence of the rotor on the vessel’s operations has helped to show how Fehn Pollux equipped with an Eco Flettner will perform during ocean voyages.
While the ship is being rebuilt in Leer, Fehn Ship Management's deck officers will be able to get accustomed to the handling of the Eco Flettner in the simulator and gain initial experience, Hesse explained.
