The world’s largest ship propelled by wind power

A very large ore carrier (VLOC) with a gross tonnage of 400,000 tons named Sohar Max became the largest ship ever equipped with wind power propulsion technology, Interesting Engineering reported on December 19. Anemoi Marine Technologies, a UK-based wind propulsion supplier, has completed the installation of five rotor sails on the ship. Each 4.9 m diameter, 34.7 m high rotor was placed on the Sohar Max deck at the COSCO Zhoushan shipyard in China in October 2024.

Anemoi also installed a custom-made folding deployment deployer, allowing the sail to fold vertically to minimize impact on the ship’s cargo handling operations. According to the company, through the installation of rotor sails, Sohar Max can now reduce energy consumption by up to 6% and cut carbon emissions by 3,000 tons annually. The Sohar Max has just completed a voyage to Tubarao and begun its rotor sail testing period.

Built in 2012 at China’s Rongsheng shipyard, Sohar Max is a first generation Valemax ship. This is a global cooperation project between Brazilian miner Vale SA, shipowner Asyad in Oman and rotor sail supplier Anemoi.

The rotor sail rotates thanks to a motor. When the wind hits the rotating rotor sail, a pressure difference occurs. This creates additional thrust that helps the ship accelerate or reduce the energy consumption of the main propulsion system. According to Anemoi, if rotor sails are installed on every suitable ship, the world can annually reduce 5 – 30% of fuel and emissions per ship, 17 million tons of fuel and 56 million tons of carbon.

Rotor sails are being chosen by more and more ship owners to achieve zero emissions goals and increase the energy efficiency of ships. This is a compact technology that provides great thrust to propel ships using wind power, helping the vehicle meet international emission criteria. Nick Contopoulos, director of manufacturing and partnerships at Anemoi Marine Technologies, said this was a remarkable project for Anemoi, demonstrating the exceptional impact of wind power on even the largest ships.

Two months ago, Vale announced it would install Anemoi’s rotor sails on the 400,000 ton NSU Tubarao owned by NS United Kaiun Kaisha. Expected to be completed in September 2025, the project will help significantly reduce the ship’s energy consumption and carbon emissions.