Spanish tanker manager Marflet Marine has put four 22-metre bound4blue eSAIL units into service on the 49,999-dwt Cyprus-flagged chemical tanker Santiago I, making it the first Spanish merchant-fleet operator to use suction sails, according to bound4blue.
The installation was completed at EDR Antwerp Shipyard in Belgium after the tanker underwent “wind-ready” preparation at IMC Shipyard in Zhoushan, China.
Spanish marine engineering company Cotenaval provided engineering support. Marflet and bound4blue signed the contract in May 2024.
Bound4blue expects the system to cut Santiago I’s annual energy consumption by about 10% to 15%, depending on its trading pattern and weather conditions. Lower main-engine demand is also expected to reduce fuel use and greenhouse-gas emissions, cut costs linked to the EU Emissions Trading System and support FuelEU Maritime compliance.
The eSAIL system operates autonomously, using suction to control airflow over an aerodynamic surface and generate wind-assisted thrust.
Marflet fleet director Juan Cremades said: “Given our confidence in this technology, our next step will be to order additional eSAILs for other vessels in our fleet.”
Santiago I, IMO 9730347, is owned by Forzina Shipping Co Ltd and managed by Marflet Marine SA. The 182.83-metre tanker was delivered on 14 March 2022 by 3.Maj Brodogradiliste in Rijeka, Croatia, and is classed by Lloyd’s Register.
Madrid-based Marflet Marine is a privately owned Spanish shipping company established in 1957.
Bound4blue, founded in 2014 and headquartered in Cantabria, Spain, develops automated wind-assisted propulsion systems for commercial ships.
EDR Antwerp Shipyard is a Belgian shipyard, while IMC Shipyard operates in Zhoushan, China. Cotenaval is a Spanish marine engineering company.