Wind assisted propulsion system (WAPS) developer bound4blue and Amasus Shipping have completed the installation of a 22m eSail on the general cargo vessel ‘Fluvius Tavy’ at Astander Shipyard in Santander, Spain.
The project marks the companies’ second installation, said to reinforce the scalability of suction sail technology and the growing confidence of shipowners in wind propulsion as a mainstream decarbonisation solution.
The latest adoption of bound4blue’s autonomous suction sails follows a previous installation on board Amasus’ Eems Traveller, where two 17m eSails became the first of their kind to be fitted on a general cargo vessel. Since then, the DNV type approved technology has been retrofitted to vessels operated by other owners such as Odfjell, Louis Dreyfus Armateurs and Eastern Pacific Shipping, with fuel and emissions savings already proven and independently validated in operation.
José Miguel Bermúdez, CEO and co-founder, bound4blue, said: “Our collaboration with Amasus continues to demonstrate that wind propulsion is gaining broader acceptance as a practical, profitable, and, crucially, a proven solution for an industry in transition. This installation is particularly noteworthy as it is the largest suction sail ever fitted to a general cargo vessel and, following a previous installation on the Eems Traveller, a very clear endorsement of the value Amasus sees in our technology. We’re delighted to help forward-thinking owners and partners, like Amasus, turn their sustainability ambitions into profitable results.”
Bermúdez added that the new project is forecasted to deliver significant double-digit reductions in vessel fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions.
The retrofit was completed in a single visit to Astander, with all preparatory and installation work carried out within the vessel’s scheduled maintenance period. Structural and electrical adaptations were made to the deck to accommodate the sail’s foundations, after which the fully pre-commissioned unit, manufactured in Spain by Haizea-Tecnoaranda, was lifted into place in a plug-and-play process. Amasus says that its experience with bound4blue’s suction sails highlights their suitability for short-sea general cargo vessels.
The eSails work by drawing air across an aerodynamically optimised surface to generate lift, claimed to be up to seven times greater than conventional rigid sails of a comparable size. The autonomous technology can be tailored for individual vessel configurations and a range of segments, including tankers, bulk carriers, ro-ros, cruise vessels, ferries, and gas carriers.
Image: 22m eSail installed on ‘Fluvius Tavy’ (source: bound4blue)
