Anemoi completes rotor sail installation on 325,000 dwt U-Ming VLOC

Taiwanese shipping company U-Ming Marine Transport Corporation (U-Ming) and the UK-based wind propulsion technology provider Anemoi Marine Technologies have completed the rotor sail installation on U-Ming’s Grand Pioneer, a 325,000 dwt very large ore carrier (VLOC).

U-Ming is understood to be the first Taiwanese shipowner to adopt rotor sails, marking a major milestone in the company’s decarbonization strategy.

The four 35-meter-tall, 5-meter-diameter folding (tilting) rotor sails were delivered fully assembled and dynamically balanced from Anemoi’s production base on the Yangtze River and transported by barge to COSCO Zhoushan shipyard.

In a streamlined plug-and-play process, the sails were lifted directly onto the deck and secured in place. This method significantly reduces the shipyard’s scope of work and keeps installation time short. For this installation, it took only 1.5 days to lift and fix the rotor sails in position onboard, with a further 5 days for commissioning and testing all four rotor sails and folding systems once the shipyard had completed its work during the vessel’s scheduled dry dock in September 2025.

“The installation of Rotor Sails on Grand Pioneer marks an important