Maersk unfurls new sail power for container ship
Maersk is launching a wind-assisted propulsion pilot, marking a first for its fleet. The post Maersk unfurls new sail power for container ship appeared first on FreightWaves.
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Maersk has signed an agreement to install a high-tech “rotor sail” on one of its container vessels, marking the company’s first foray into wind-assisted propulsion for its ocean fleet.
The 115-foot-tall sail, designed by London-based Anemoi Marine Technologies, will be retrofitted to a 984-foot, 8,700-TEU Lima-class ship and piloted during regular commercial service, with installation due in mid-2027. The vessel is expected to operate on Maersk (OTC: AMKBY) north and south Atlantic voyages while the sail is piloted.
The system will be tested in commercial service after that. Anemoi typically installs three to five rotor sails per vessel, with each unit saving roughly one ton of fuel per day and around three tons of CO₂ emissions, according to the company’s specifications.
Maersk says the rotor sail is part of a broader, fuel-agnostic approach to cutting greenhouse gas emissions across its ocean business. The company’s current priorities center on scaling lower-GHG-emission fuels such as bio- and e-methanol, expanding its dual-fuel fleet, and improving network and vessel efficiency.
Earlier this year, CMA CGM began rotations of the sail-assisted Neoliner Origin, a ro-ro vessel calling the Port of Baltimore. In 2025, Maersk added 10 dual-fuel methanol vessels and completed fuel-saving retrofits on 230 owned ships and 150 time-chartered vessels, helping push its ocean Energy Efficiency Operational Indicator (EEOI) to a record low of 10.
8 gCO₂e per ton-nautical mile. By 2027, the company expects 25 dual-fuel ships in service, eventually reaching 25% of its fleet capable of running on lower-emission fuels. The company has targeted net-zero emissions by 2040. Read more articles by Stuart Chirls here.
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