SunRui Marine Environment Engineering Co., Ltd. has secured an order to supply rotor sail wind-assisted propulsion systems for two 7,100-dwt self-discharging bulk carriers being built for Norwegian short-sea dry bulk owner and operator Halten Bulk AS.

The contract was signed on 9 July by SunRui, Jiangsu SOHO Marine Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. and China Shipbuilding Trading (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

Each vessel will be equipped with two tiltable rotor sails measuring 28 metres in height and 4 metres in diameter. Each unit will have a maximum rotational speed of 225 rpm and generate maximum thrust of 215 kN. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2027.

The rotor sails will harness wind energy to provide auxiliary propulsive thrust, reducing the power required from the vessels’ main engines and supporting lower fuel consumption and emissions.

Founded in 2003 and based in Qingdao, SunRui is a marine equipment and environmental technology company under China State Shipbuilding Corporation. Its product portfolio includes ballast water management systems, exhaust gas cleaning systems, onboard carbon capture equipment, and fuel supply systems for LNG, methanol and ammonia.

SunRui has expanded into wind-assisted propulsion in recent years, developing a range of rotor sail and wing sail products together with research, manufacturing and testing capabilities for large-scale systems.

In 2025, the company’s independently developed Wind-Assisted Propulsion System–Rotor Sail System, known as WAPS-RSS, received Approval in Principle from Bureau Veritas. The technology was subsequently presented to the international market at Nor-Shipping 2025.

SunRui further advanced the technology in 2026 by completing full-scale land-based testing of a rotor sail measuring 35 metres in height and 5 metres in diameter. The system generated maximum thrust of more than 355 kN and is intended for application on tankers, bulk carriers and other large ocean-going vessels.

The Halten Bulk order provides another commercial reference for SunRui’s wind-assisted propulsion portfolio and moves the company’s rotor sail business further towards scheduled shipboard deployment and delivery.