NYK Bulkship (Atlantic) N.V. (NBAtlantic) has installed two VentoFoil wind-assisted ship-propulsion units on the bulk carrier NBA Magritte.
The installation, which was completed at the Port of Rotterdam earlier this month, marks the first time such a unit has been applied to an NYK Group vessel.
Sitting on a 20-foot-long flat rack container with no walls, VentoFoil has a 16-meter vertical wing that acts as suction sail which expects about five times as much force compared to no-suction versions.
NBAtlantic will collect data on the propulsion generated by this equipment, as well as meteorological and ocean conditions during navigation, and measure the unit’s effectiveness in collaboration with Cargill International Inc., the charterer of the NBA Magritte, and NYK R&D subsidiary MTI Co.
‘This initiative is part of NYK’s long-term target of net-zero emissions of GHGs by 2050 for the NYK Group's oceangoing businesses,’ NYK said in a statement today (23 July). ‘The NYK Group will utilize the knowledge gained in this research and development to promote initiatives related to various energy-saving technologies, including the use of wind power.’
