English 
Spanish 
3 min read
The iron ore ship now moored in Rio de Janeiro, on the southern coast of Rio de Janeiro, is equipped with state-of-the-art rotating sail technology
The first iron ore ship in the world, equipped with a rotating sail system, was received last Tuesday, 11th, at the south coast of Rio de Janeiro. The system attached to ships allows greater use of the force of the winds, thus increasing the efficiency of the vessel and reducing carbon emissions, according to the website
The ore vessel is located at the Guaíba Island Terminal (TIG), with a capacity of 325 tons and operated by Vale, in Mangaratiba, on the coast of Rio de Janeiro. Called “Sea Zhoushan”, the ship was received at the facilities in Rio de Janeiro after adaptations were carried out at the end of 2022.
What are the rotating sails present on ore vessels in Rio de Janeiro?
The rotating sails present on the vessels moored in Rio de Janeiro recently are cylindrical rotors that are each 24 meters high, which is equivalent to a 7-story building. During the operation of ships in Rio de Janeiro, the rotors move in a circle at different speeds, depending on the environmental and operational conditions of the ship, creating a pressure difference, causing the ship to move forward.
- Pecém: The colossal and valuable Northeast Port that connects Ceará to the world and is a reference in the renewable energy market
- Africa's New Ocean: The Incredible DIVISION of the Continent That's Shaping the Future Faster Than We Imagined
- Russian ship was sinking and asked for help, but Norwegian ship refused to rescue them
- Discover the largest, most dangerous and deepest ocean in the world: it covers almost a third of the Earth's surface, has winds of 110 km/h and its depth exceeds 11 thousand meters
According to Vale's Naval Engineering manager, Rodrigo Bermelho: “There are five sails installed along the length of the vessel that bring an efficiency gain of up to 8% and a consequent reduction of up to 3,4 tons of CO2 equivalent per ship per year”. So far, the vessel has already made 5 iron ore trips since July 2021, ore produced by Vale.
The iron ore ship in Rio de Janeiro is the first in the world to use a rotating sail system, which produces an energy efficiency gain of up to 8%, reducing carbon emissions
Iron ore vessel technology is a success
According to Bermelho, the technology present on the ore ships in Rio de Janeiro has been proving successful in tests and has stimulated partnerships and new projects. As he explains: “Vale has recently entered the market, for example, with a request for long-term contracts for an innovative design of new Guaibamax vessels equipped with rotor sails and powered by biofuel, allowing the use of methanol as alternative to the bunker”.
The mixture of these two technologies has great potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 23% compared to the current generation of ships. Also, the ship was designed with flexibility so that, in the future, the ore ship could receive a tank and also systems to use liquefied natural gas or ammonia, should fuels be a better option in terms of values.
