Last year, the shipping company Louis Dreyfus Armateurs equipped the RoRo ship “Ville de Bordeaux” with three sails from Bound4Blue. The first data is now available.
The classification society Bureau Veritas determined daily fuel savings of 1.7 tons with the “eSails”, with significantly higher peak values.
According to the sail manufacturer, the figures are a “direct hit”. They underline the cost-effectiveness of the technology. A total of three so-called “Suction Sails” with a height of 22 m have been installed on the “Ville de Bordeaux”. According to Bureau Veritas Solutions Marine & Offshore (BVS), which documented the ship’s fuel consumption over the course of a year, the sails saved an average of 1.7 tons per day. The peak values are even 5.4 tons per day. Over the course of a year, the ship saved 568 tons of fuel.
According to the Spanish company, these figures correspond to Bound4Blue’s original forecasts. The independent measurements by Louis Dreyfus also support the results. The shipping company carried out real-time measurements, taking weather conditions into account. The ship chartered by Airbus sails between Europe and the USA. According to Bound4Blue, the reported savings were achieved without “weather routing”, i.e. sailing in favorable winds.
Compared to rigid sails, the eSails developed by Bound4Blue generate significantly more thrust per square meter of sail area. This enables equivalent fuel savings with six to seven times less surface area, which means compact installations, less space required on deck and low weight. In addition, the sails can be easily retrofitted: The retrofit of the Odfjell tanker “Bow Olympus” took just two days. This ship, which also used biofuel in addition to the sails, also demonstrated the potential of the technology on a test voyage across the Atlantic.
“Ville de Bordeaux” results prove the benefits
For David Ferrer, CTO of Bound4Blue, the results of the “Ville de Bordeaux” are a sign of the role of eSails for an industry that is undergoing change. “We are delighted that this high performance vessel is achieving significant savings and impressive peaks on a daily basis, demonstrating huge potential,” said David. “The results show how existing vessels – not just newbuilds designed for energy efficiency and wind propulsion – can harness this clean, renewable and accessible energy source for breakthrough benefits.”
In addition to reduced fuel consumption, regulatory benefits under FuelEU Maritime and the EU ETS are also important drivers for acceptance. In addition to Louis Dreyfus and the Norwegian shipping company Odfjell, the modern sails are also in use on other ships. Orders have also been received from Maersk Tankers, Marflet Marine and Klaveness Combination Carriers.
“We were excited to set sail with the Bound4Blue technology to establish real-world results and investigate fuel and emissions savings that will help us offer more sustainable maritime services to our customers,” said Mathieu Muzeau, Managing Director Transport & Logistics at Louis Dreyfus Armateurs. “It is extremely gratifying to see the scale of savings from this early adoption. The performance achieved – with a higher vessel speed – has been remarkable, as has the ease of operation. We look forward to many more tons of fuel saved and reduced emissions in the years to come.”
