Bound4blue has installed two eSAILs on the Dutch flagged Eems Traveller, a 2850-DWT general cargo vessel owned by Amasus. With a height of 17 metres, they are said to be the largest suction sails ever built and installed on a ship.
The eSAIL system, categorised as a suction sail, is based on the use of a thick aerodynamic profile and smart suction to increase the propulsive efficiency, resulting in a system that produces seven times more lift than an airplane wing.
These sails represent a new and improved generation of the system installed on the La Naumon, delivering higher efficiency with the same size. In addition to being the largest suction sail ever built and installed on a ship, the installation of these two sails on the Eems Traveller also marks the largest installation of fixed suction sails on a ship to date.
The installation was executed in two distinct phases. One year ago, during a scheduled regular dry-dock of the vessel, the foundations for the eSAILs were manufactured and installed in the Netherlands. The verticalisation manoeuvre and connection to the reinforcement of the sails was completed in less than four hours at the Port of Bilbao last week.
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Emission savings monitoring
In between these two phases Bound4blue has been monitoring the ship to obtain its baseline performance, which will be used by a third party to assess the fuel and emission savings results in the next twelve months. In this way, scientifically validated results are obtained, which can be used to demonstrate the actual effects of the system in use on board of the vessel and form the basis for any future further development.
‘In the same way that we need proven sustainable solutions to decarbonise the industry, we also need to implement them as fast and efficiently as possible,’ says José Miguel Bermúdez, CEO of Bound4blue. ‘As evidence of this, we have utilised for the first time the port infrastructure to install our systems, demonstrating that shipowners don’t have to wait for the scheduled maintenance of the ship to start reaping the benefits of wind propulsion.’
Arend-Jan Rozema, managing director of Amasus, adds: ‘The joint development of this wind propulsion concept marks an important milestone and contribution to the aspiration in creating a sustainable future. As Amasus, we are proud and delighted to realise this new project together with our partners from Bound4blue.’
Also read: Keel laid for Amasus’ first new multi-purpose short sea ship
Sails for Cargo
This installation, approved by Bureau Veritas, has been done within the framework of the Sails for Cargo project, co-funded by Fondo Puertos 4.0 of Puertos del Estado, with the support from Port of Bilbao, Bilbao PortLab and Toro y Betolaza.
Picture and video by Bound4blue.
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