Spanish company Bound4blue has installed its largest sails to date on a Louis Dreyfus Company juice carrier.
Four 26m high “eSails” have been installed on the “Atlantic Orchard”, a juice carrier chartered by Louis Dreyfus and owned by Swedish shipping company Wisby Tankers, to ensure optimum efficiency. The retrofit was carried out during the ship’s planned stay at the Astander shipyard in Santander, Spain, due to the upcoming 10-year inspection.
The suction sails were installed as planned in less than one day per unit. Depending on the services, the ship is now expected to reduce its fuel consumption and emissions by 10%, which will also bring economic benefits. The 2014-built vessel – originally a bulker and converted in 2020 – now benefits from simplified compliance with FuelEU Maritime, the Wind Reward Factor and other benefits in terms of CII, EU ETS and other regulatory requirements.
Third suction sail installation in 2025
This latest installation is the third this year for Bound4blue. The DNV type-approved suction sails have already been installed on ships ranging from MR tankers to breakbulk and RoRo vessels. According to the Cantabria-based company, this project also demonstrates the simplicity and versatility of using advanced wind propulsion systems (WPS) for a changing industry.
“eSails open up a simple, proven and economically beneficial path to greener operations for a variety of shipping segments, including unique vessel types such as juice transports,” comments Bound4blue CEO and founder José Miguel Bermúdez. In this case, the units were lifted into positions originally occupied by four deck cranes. All electrical and structural work, sail preparation and full programming of the units were carried out in a coordinated shipyard visit.
“We are delighted to be working with ambitious and like-minded companies such as LDC and Wisby Tankers to drive the wind revolution in shipping by installing our mature, mechanically simple technology that delivers significant fuel and emissions savings,” continued Bermúdez.
The WPSs were selected for the Atlantic Orchard following a comprehensive review of emission-reducing and efficiency-enhancing technologies by LDC’s marine decarbonization team. Lloyd’s Register was then brought in to carry out an expert assessment of competing solutions before Bound4blue’s fully autonomous system was selected in late 2023.
“We are excited about this significant first step in a journey that marks a new milestone in our Group’s long history in shipping,” says Sébastien Landerretche, Global Head of Freight at LDC, referring to the company’s journey to help shape a low-carbon maritime industry. “We look forward to sharing our initial experiences and learnings in the coming weeks as we complete our first crossing to Brazil before returning to Europe.”
Payback period of less than five years
According to Bound4blue, the average payback period for the suction sails is less than five years. It is possible to equip newbuildings as well as retrofitting in a variety of ship segments. These include tankers, bulkers, ro-ro ships, cruise ships, ferries, gas tankers and general cargo ships. Recent orders have been placed by shipping companies such as Maersk Tankers, Marflet Marine, Eastern Pacific Shipping and Klaveness Combination Carriers.
