Wind propulsion system company Norsepower has announced a new collaboration with climate tech start-up Syroco, under which the two companies are delivering energy efficiency solutions for merchant vessels, reducing fuel consumption, minimising carbon emissions, and accurately measuring the savings enabled by Norsepower rotor sails.
The joint deployment of Norsepower and Syroco onboard Socatra’s tanker Alcyone demonstrates how combining wind propulsion with digital technologies can help shipowners overcome operational complexities and maximise the benefits of wind propulsion. Vessels with rotor sails require advanced calculations to optimise routes, balancing wind propulsion with other factors such as waves and currents. Their integration with AI-driven platforms provides ship operators with reliable, real-time insights into how to maximise efficiency, savings, and sustainability.
This partnership has already demonstrated success onboard several vessels, including Socatra’s tanker Alcyone. Syroco’s performance evaluation technology has validated the effectiveness of Norsepower rotor sails, confirming fuel savings of up to 21% per voyage. By combining Norsepower’s wind propulsion systems with Syroco’s weather routing technology, these savings are amplified, with initial results revealing voyages where combining the technologies can as much as double the performance.
Jarkko Väinämö, CCO Norsepower, said: “Our collaboration with Syroco is an important step forward in optimising the potential of wind propulsion. By accurately validating the performance of Norsepower rotor sails and demonstrating how advanced AI can amplify their benefits, we are driving significant progress in sustainable shipping. Together, we are proving that cleaner, more efficient shipping is not only achievable but measurable.”
Syroco combines weather and sea data with advanced naval architecture principles and IoT data collected from onboard systems to create a digital twin of each vessel. This virtual representation of the ship accounts for key characteristics such as hull design, windage, appendages, propulsion systems, and the most accurate models of the Norsepower rotor sails. This digital twin enables vessel operators to optimise routes in real-time, considering wind propulsion, waves, swell, currents, arrival times, safety constraints, and cargo-specific parameters.
Alex Caizergues, Syroco Cofounder and CEO, said: “By integrating Norsepower rotor sails with digital twin models, the Syroco platform helps the crew obtain the most optimised routing at any time, and essentially amplifies the effect of wind assistance. This collaboration showcases the great potential of combining innovative technologies to meet the maritime industry’s decarbonisation goals. Syroco also provides a precise evaluation of the contribution of wind propulsion to fuel savings and emissions reductions. The user-friendly interface not only enables vessel operators to make data-driven decisions but also to quantify the impact of these decisions.”
With further joint deployments upcoming , this collaboration highlights the importance of integrating complementary technologies to meet the maritime sector’s growing regulatory demands and climate commitments.
Image: Socatra’s tanker ‘Alcyone’ with Norsepower rotor sails (source: Norsepower)
