For thousands of years, ships used cloth sails to travel across the sea. Now, an old idea is returning in a surprising new form. Maersk, one of the world’s largest shipping companies, plans to test a tall, spinning “rotor sail” on a container ship.
The new sail does not look like a traditional sail. It is a large cylinder that turns with the help of a motor. When wind moves around the spinning cylinder, it creates a difference in air pressure. This produces a force that helps push the ship forward. As a result, the ship’s main engine can use less fuel. (anemoimarine.com)
The rotor sail will be installed on a Maersk container ship in the middle of 2027. The ship can carry about 8,700 standard containers. Its new sail will be 35 meters high and five meters wide. Maersk expects to test it during normal business trips across the North and South Atlantic. (anemoimarine.com)
This project is important because rotor sails have already been used on tankers and other cargo ships, but container ships are more difficult. Most of their deck space is needed for containers, so there is little room for large equipment. The Maersk ship will therefore begin with only one rotor sail. (seatrade-maritime.com)
The sail will not replace the ship’s engine. Instead, wind will give the engine a hand when weather conditions are suitable. The company that makes the sail says one rotor can save about one tonne of fuel and around three tonnes of carbon dioxide per day. However, the actual savings on this container ship will become clear only after the test begins. (anemoimarine.com)
If the trial is successful, more container ships may use wind power in the future. The ships of tomorrow could combine modern engines with one of humanity’s oldest sources of energy: the wind.










