Bound4blue to install 20 sails on Maersk tankers

Spanish wind-assisted propulsion technology developer bound4blue will install 20 suction sails on five medium-range (MR) tankers owned by Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller-Maersk.

PHOTO: Vessels installed with bound4blue's suction sails. Getty Images

The 26-meter-long suction sails will be retrofitted on five MR vessels in the upcoming two years, bound4blue said.

Wind-assisted propulsion systems (WAPS), like suction sails, have been gaining popularity among shipowners as they look for technologies that can boost vessel performance, reduce fuel use, and enhance sustainability.

The sails drag air across an aerodynamic surface to generate lift and propulsive efficiency, reducing some vessel emissions and fuel consumption, bound4blue claimed. Four units of the sail will be installed on each vessel – the Maersk Tacoma, Maersk Tampa, Maersk Tangier, Maersk Teesport, and Maersk Tokyo.

Green-tech catalyst provider Njord assessed the suction sails to “ensure optimal environmental and commercial impact on the target project vessels,” the company said. The five vessels are “expected to deliver double-digit percentage reductions in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions per vessel,” it added.

By Aparupa Mazumder

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