Spanish shipping company Marflet Marine has signed a contract with bound4blue for the installation of four 22-metre-high suction sails on board its chemical tanker Santiago I. According to a company statement, it is the first Spanish shipowner to choose this wind-powered auxiliary propulsion technology, which will ‘reduce the use of conventional fuel, optimising operating costs and reducing greenhouse gas emissions’.

The installation project will be carried out by the Valencia-based technical office Cotenaval, which will be in charge of designing the bases on the ship´s deck on which the four eSAIL model 2 units will be placed, as well as the electrical installation of the system. According to bound4blue, ‘the ease and speed of installation of the technology was a key selling point for the shipowner, minimising additional engineering work and limiting vessel downtime compared to other competing auxiliary wind propulsion technologies’. Depending on the vessel´s route and operations, the Santiago I should save 10-15% of annual fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

The eSAIL auxiliary wind propulsion system developed by bound4blue is based on the use of a thick airfoil with an intelligent suction system to increase its propulsive efficiency. According to the company, ‘it is a simple, robust technology that does not require any operational intervention by the crew, and is capable of generating up to seven times more lift than a conventional aircraft wing’.

For José Miguel Bermúdez, CEO of bound4blue, this is a very significant contract ‘not only because Marflet Marine is the first Spanish shipowner in the merchant fleet to join the auxiliary wind propulsion revolution, but also because with this contract we consolidate our position as the chosen option for tankers’.

According to Juan Cremades, Fleet Director at Marflet Marine, with the installation of this system, the vessel Santiago I ‘can optimise fuel efficiency and reduce its emissions’. ‘From now on we will focus on additional ways to reduce radiated noise underwater and further improve both efficiency and safety through advanced weather-based route analysis. A Spanish design has been chosen, bound4blue; a Spanish engineering company, Cotenaval; and they will be manufactured in Spain,’ Cremades concludes.

News and image obtained: "Asociación de Navieros Españoles"

https://anave.es/marflet-instalara-cuatro-velas-de-succion-de-bound4blue-en-uno-de-sus-quimiqueros/