bound4blue has successfully installed three 22-metre-high eSAILs on the ro-ro Ville de Bordeaux, from French shipowner Louis Dreyfus Armateurs, according to the company's release.
Following installation of eSAIL foundations in Poland in November 2023, the 5,200-dwt Ville de Bordeaux (built 2004) has emerged from a short stopover in a shipyard in Vigo, Spain with its three brand-new, 22-metre-high eSAILs in place. The verticalization manoeuvre and connection to the reinforcement of the suction sails was completed in less than two days last week.
The Ville de Bordeaux is on charter to Airbus from French shipowner Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) and used to transport A320 Family components from Europe for final assembly at the aircraft manufacturer’s US factory in Mobile, Alabama. The fast installation process involved minimal downtime for the vessel. It departed Saint Nazaire in France on its maiden voyage with the eSAILs on 3rd March and is set to arrive in Mobile approximately two weeks later.
The installation of the eSAILs, developed by the technology innovator bound4blue, contributes to Airbus’ target to halve CO2 emissions from its maritime logistics operations by 2030, versus a 2015 baseline. Moreover, wind-assisted propulsion is a key decarbonization solution LDA believes can help the company reach its goal to achieve net-zero GHG emissions by 2050.
Each eSAIL generates six to seven times more lift than a conventional sail thanks to an electric-powered air suction system that helps the airflow to re-adhere to the sail. All this force allows for the reduction of the load on the ship’s main engines.
Meanwhile, bound4blue has also signed additional commercial agreements with several other forward-thinking shipowners. These include the installation of four 26-metre-high eSAILs on the chartered-in, 35,584-dwt juice carrier MV Atlantic Orchard (built 2014) for global agricultural trader Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC). The project, undertaken in collaboration with Wisby Tankers of Sweden, is expected to reduce annual fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by at least 10%.
In the tanker segment, Odfjell of Norway is gearing up to retrofit the eSAIL system this year on a chemical tanker, the first such vessel to harness this groundbreaking technology. Eastern Pacific Shipping of Singapore also very recently agreed to install three 22-metre eSAILs on its 50,332-dwt Pacific Sentinel (built 2019).
In other segments, Marubeni Corporation subsidiary MMSL Pte Ltd of Singapore is also this year set to install four 26-metre-high eSAILs on the 84,860-dwt kamsarmax bulker Crimson Kingdom (built 2016), while Tahitian shipowner SNA THUA’A PAE (SNA) has signed up to install a single 22-metre-high eSAIL® on a combined cargo/passenger newbuilding it has on order in Vigo, Spain, for delivery in 2026.
bound4blue develops automated wind-assisted propulsion systems as a turnkey solution for all shipowners and shipping companies seeking to reduce fuel costs and polluting emissions. bound4blue’s eSAIL® system is a validated solution for saving fuel and emissions, completely autonomous, with low maintenance and easy installation onboard, being the most cost-efficient wind propulsion technology today. bound4blue’s suction sails are offered in three sizes, ranging from 12m to 36m in height, all with optional tilting systems to ensure overhead clearance under port operations if needed. The company, founded in 2014 with a vocation clearly focused on the renewable energy sector in the maritime field, has its headquarters in Cantabria (Spain) and offices in Barcelona and Singapore. The company has installed its eSAIL system on four ships and has signed additional agreements with other shipowners including Eastern Pacific Shipping, Louis Dreyfus Company, SNA TUHA’A PAE (SNA) of Tahiti, Marubeni Corporation and Odfjell to install the system on their fleets.
For more than 170 years, the Louis Dreyfus Armateurs Group has been offering players in the maritime world innovative industrial solutions adapted to their needs and integrated services ranging from the design and management of ships to maritime operations in the fields of transport, logistics and marine industrial solutions. Present worldwide with more than 2,600 employees and around 100 vessels, LDA is a French family-owned group.