BW Epic to install suction sail on LPG tanker

Singapore-based tanker operator BW Epic Kosan (BWEK) has partnered with bound4blue, a Spanish wind-assisted propulsion system (WAPS) manufacturer, to install a suction sail on its LPG tanker.

IMAGE: Illustration of Helena Kosan equipped with suction sail. bound4blue

Under the agreement, BWEK’s Helena Kosan will be fitted with a 24-metre suction sail by 2026. This marks bound4blue’s first contract for an LPG vessel.

The system’s design places the sail’s maintenance door high above the deck, keeping it out of hazardous areas and allowing standard units to be installed without the need for costly ATEX-certified equipment, which is typically required for explosive environments under EU regulation.

The autonomous system will help the tanker operator “save fuel, cut emissions, reduce costs and simplify regulatory compliance,” bound4blue said.

By Konica Bhatt

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