FlettnerFleet |

Using Wind.

Reducing emissions.

Protecting climate.

Using Wind.

Reducing emissions.

Protecting climate.

Reducing emissions from shipping is the order of the day.

The “FlettnerFLEET” project aims to further develop Flettner technology in Germany for widespread use in national and international shipping, and to contribute to climate protection in shipping with this additional wind propulsion system.

This is in response to the growing need for the use of innovative, climate-friendly technologies in shipping. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is currently working on a strategy to reduce the CO2 emissions of the world’s merchant fleet, which are still rising, as quickly as possible and by at least 50% by 2050. The aim is also to achieve the complete decarbonisation of shipping as early as possible in this century. The EU’s European Green Deal sets earlier and more ambitious goals. The “Fit for 55” programme aims to reduce CO2 emissions from shipping by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.

While many details of the implementation of the policies and programmes remain to be seen, it is already clear that new technological avenues will have to be explored, with both incremental and radical innovations. On the one hand, wind propulsion systems, i.e. the direct use of wind energy for ship propulsion, have been around for “millennia” and the high potential at sea is well known. On the other hand, the shipping industry needs innovative technologies in this field that meet all the important requirements of modern shipbuilding and operation. Flettner rotors have already demonstrated their fundamental suitability as wind propulsion systems for modern merchant vessels in various pilot projects.