U-Ming Marine Transport Corporation has completed the installation of four rotor sails on its 325,000 DWT very large ore carrier Grand Pioneer, making it the first Taiwanese shipowner to adopt the wind propulsion technology.

The installation was carried out at COSCO Zhoushan shipyard in September, with the 35-meter tall, 5-meter diameter folding rotor sails supplied by UK firm Anemoi Marine Technologies. The installation is said to have taken 1.5 days to position the sails, with an additional five days required for commissioning and testing.

The rotor sails were delivered fully assembled from Anemoi's production base on the Yangtze River and transported by barge to the shipyard. Anemoi notes that its plug-and-play process reduces shipyard work scope and installation time.

Jeff Hsu, Vice Chairman of U-Ming, commented: "The installation of rotor sails on Grand Pioneer marks an important step in U-Ming's decarbonization journey and reflects our belief that the future of global shipping must be both sustainable and competitive."

Clare Urmston, CEO of Anemoi, commented: "We are proud to have delivered another rotor sail installation, providing fully assembled technology that minimizes time in the yard and maximizes value for our customers."

Following the installation, Grand Pioneer will resume service between Brazil and China under a long-term charter with Brazilian mining company Vale. The vessel is projected to achieve annual fuel and emissions reductions of approximately 10-12% on average, according to the companies.

Anemoi's specialist team are due to sail on the vessel's maiden voyage from Zhoushan to Singapore to complete crew training and operational handover.

The project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) programme in the Department for Transport. UK SHORE has allocated over £230m since 2022 to more than 247 projects.

Anemoi's rotor sail systems are designed for both newbuild and retrofit applications and are approved by classification societies. The technology is intended to support compliance with regulations including EEDI, EEXI, CII, EU ETS, and FuelEU Maritime.