Image: Norsepower Oy Ltd.

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The CEO of Norsepower Oy Ltd., a provider of software-operated and data-verified auxiliary wind propulsion systems, says wind power is ready to be a part of meeting Paris-aligned greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in April this year, with the company's Rotor Sail Solution alone said to be able to reduce industry emissions by around 5 percent.

Speaking ahead of next week's 72nd Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) meeting, Tuomas Riski, CEO of Norsepower, said: "When the issue of decarbonising shipping is raised at the IMO, it seems that all too often it is dismissed because the technology to reduce emissions is not ready. However, with the International Transport Forum and the OECD's report last week saying that almost complete decarbonisation is possible by 2035 with currently known technologies, Norsepower is proud to stand up and say that it is ready and willing to help the industry achieve ambitious targets.

"Norsepower's Rotor Sails may not already be installed on the 20,000 applicable vessels in the global fleet, but we have a proven commercial product that could reduce emissions by 10-15 percent per ship. This does not limit the reductions that could be made by those ships, as multiple technologies sit happily alongside Rotor Sails, like hydrodynamic hull optimisation, heat recovery, and alternative fuels.

"We hope that the IMO will recognise the potential savings offered by the clean technology community and set Paris Agreement-aligned GHG reduction targets at the upcoming MEPC 72 meeting. A 70 to 100 percent reduction in total emissions by 2050, as supported by EU member states, is critical to holding global temperatures well below two degrees of warming and preventing catastrophic climate change. As a clean technology provider, Norsepower is ready to support that future. The challenge for the industry is not the technology but the will to implement it."

Norsepower offers Rotor Sails under a 'Technology as a Service' model; rather than pay for a technology up front and install it on a vessel, costs are billed monthly at an amortised fee based on the achieved fuel savings. This is designed to reduce the barrier to entry and provide the added benefits of a service agreement rather than a one-off purchase of a product.

In addition to its financial and environmental benefits, Norsepower points out that the visibility of Rotor Sails on board a vessel can deliver enhanced awareness of an organisations' environmental credentials to port users and the public.