The Singapore-based tanker shipping company BW Epic Kosan (BWEK) is having one of its ships retrofitted with a sail for the first time. The choice fell on the “eSail” from the Spanish company Bound4Blue.
The agreement between BWEK and Bound4Blue provides for the installation of a 24 m high sail on the “Helena Kosan”. The 115 m long LPG tanker was built in 2007 and is to be equipped with the retrofit in the coming year. The wind propulsion system, a so-called “Suction Sail”, is intended to save fuel, reduce emissions, lower the ship’s operating costs and also simplify compliance with legal regulations such as the EU ETS. The installation is to take place in two phases: Preparations will still take place on a dry dock in 2025, followed by the “plug and play” installation of the system the following year.
“The tanker and LPG market is a key growth area for Bound4Blue, so it’s fantastic to agree a contract with the world leader in last-mile delivery of LPG, petrochemicals and other specialty gases,” said José Miguel Bermúdez, CEO and co-founder of Bound4Blue. “Our mechanically simple solution delivers unique benefits for the segment, with the ability to position the sail’s maintenance door far above the deck and thus entirely remove the system from hazardous areas. This means non-explosion proof units can be installed easily on a vessel such as an LPG carrier, or any other tanker, negating the need for more costly, complex ATEX-proof solutions.”
Combined with the performance, efficiency and compactness of the system, owners such as BWEK are able to “achieve ambitious economic and environmental goals”, Bound4Blue continues.
Shipping companies rely on wind power
Unlike conventional, rigid sails, the “eSail”, which was certified by DNV last year, generates an airflow over an aerodynamic surface. This generates up to seven times more thrust for the same size. In addition to BWEK, which is now working with Bound4Blue for the first time, the sails are also to be installed on ships belonging to Maersk Tankers, Marflet Marine and Klaveness Combination Carriers. Retrofit orders for the shipping companies Eastern Pacific Shipping, Louis Dreyfus and Odfjell have already been completed; just recently, the tanker “Bow Olympus” sailed across the Atlantic with a significant reduction in CO2 thanks to the use of eSails and biofuel.
BWEK also wants to focus more on decarbonization in the future. The company has a fleet of 50 tankers that serve the international supply chains of major oil companies and commodity traders on several continents – so there is plenty of scope for further installations. “We are committed to investing in proven technology that supports and enables our drive to reduce operational environmental footprints,” explained Jakob Bode, CEO of BWEK. “We have so far introduced a range of innovations including ultrasonic transducers, graphene-based propeller coatings and advanced weather routing to cut emissions and empower efficiencies, in addition to actively participating in projects to advance the adoption of green fuels such as ammonia. Wind power was identified as having potential and, after careful studies, Bound4Blue’s eSail was selected as the system of choice. We look forward to benefitting from its simplicity and efficacy in action on the Helena Kosan from 2026 onwards.”
