Sao Paulo, December 16 (Xinhua) -- The world's largest mining vessel, Vale, headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, learned on the 16th that it has made its maiden voyage to Brazil after being retrofitted with a wind propulsion system from China. It is currently undergoing its first test at the Port of Tubalang in Victoria, Espiritu Santo state, Brazil.
The Valemax vessel "Sohar Max" from Vale was retrofitted with rotor sails by Zhoushan COSCO Shipping Heavy Industries Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China Ocean Shipping Group Co., Ltd. Map provided by Vale
This mineral sand ship is a Valemax type vessel "Sohar Max", with a length of 362 meters and a loading capacity of 400000 tons. Modified by Zhoushan Zhongyuan Shipping Heavy Industry Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China Ocean Shipping Group Co., Ltd., five rotor sails were installed, each 35 meters high and 5 meters in diameter, making it one of the largest ships in the world equipped with wind propulsion systems.
Recently, the "Sohar Max" has completed its voyage from Zhoushan, China to the port of Tubalang, Brazil. Vale is collaborating with the Omani shipowner Asyad to test the rotor sails on the Sohar Max vessel, with the aim of utilizing wind energy to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions. According to Rodrigo Bermelho, Director of Shipping at Vale, this modification is expected to improve the ship's energy efficiency by up to 6% and reduce up to 3000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions annually.
It is reported that testing the installation of rotor sails on the "Sohar Max" wheel is the fifth wind energy testing project conducted on a leased vessel in Vale. Previously, the company also carried out projects such as using silicone coatings to reduce resistance, installing frequency converters to reduce power consumption, and using fluid dynamics devices to improve propulsion, in order to create high-efficiency ships. By the end of 2025, it is expected that two more ships will complete the testing.
Why did you make a special trip to Zhoushan, China to "transform"? In addition to being optimistic about Zhoushan as an international maritime comprehensive service highland with reliable technology, Vale believes that wind energy will play a core role in decarbonizing iron ore shipping. (End)