World’s largest suction sail installed on a ship
Bound4blue, a Spanish company that develops automated wind-assisted propulsion systems, has installed two " e-sails" on Dutch flagged "Eems Traveller", a 2,850-dwt general cargo vessel owned by Amasus. It holds the record as the largest suction sail ever built and installed on a ship: its height is 17 m.
José Miguel Bermúdez, CEO of Bound4blue: "We need proven sustainable solutions to decarbonise the industry, and we must implement them as fast and efficiently as possible."
The "e-sails" system 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, which is a sustainable solution.
This installation, approved by Bureau Veritas, was completed 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. (lh)