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Largest fixed suction sail installation on general cargo vessel complete

Amasus’ general cargo vessel Eems Traveller is ready to set sail with the largest installation of fixed suction sails on a ship to date.

Gary Howard, Middle East correspondent

July 4, 2023

1 Min Read
EEMS Traveller alongside with eSAILs installed
Amasus/bound4blue

Wind-assisted propulsion company bound4blue installed two of its 17-metre-high eSAILs on the ship. The new eSAILs mark an efficiency improvement over the single unit of the same height installed on La Naumon.

Dutch-flagged Eems Traveller is a 2,850 dwt general cargo vessel owned by Amasus and had the wind assist system installed in two phases. The foundations for the eSAILs was installed in the Netherlands during a routine dry dock last year.

The sails were connected, reinforced and raised at the port of Bilbao in late June, a process which took under four hours, the bound4blue said.

Data from the monitoring of the ship’s performance between the two installation phases will serve as a baseline reference for data gathered over the next 12 months. A third party will assess fuel and emissions savings to validate the results and demonstrate the effect of the system on the ship’s performance.

José Miguel Bermúdez, CEO of bound4blue, says: “In the same way that we need proven sustainable solutions to decarbonize the industry, we also need to implement them as fast and efficiently as possible. As evidence of this, we have utilized for the first time the port infrastructure to install our systems, demonstrating that shipowners don't have to wait for the scheduled maintenance of the ship to start reaping the benefits of wind propulsion.”

Related:Wind-assistance can drive profitable and sustainable shipping

Arend-Jan Rozema, Managing Director of Amasus, says: “The joint development of this wind propulsion concept marks an important milestone and contribution to the aspiration in creating a sustainable future. As Amasus, we are proud and delighted to realize this new project together with our partners from bound4blue.”

About the Author

Gary Howard

Middle East correspondent

Gary Howard is the Middle East Correspondent for Seatrade Maritime News and has written for Seatrade Cruise, Seatrade Maritime Review and was News Editor at Lloyd’s List. Gary’s maritime career started after catching the shipping bug during a research assignment for the offshore industry. Working out of Seatrade's head office in the UK, he also produces and contributes to conference programmes for Seatrade events including CMA Shipping, Seatrade Maritime Logistics Middle East and Marintec. 

Gary’s favourite topics within the maritime industry are decarbonisation and wind-assisted propulsion; he particularly enjoys reporting from industry events.

Conferences & Webinars

Gary Howard regularly moderates at international maritime events. Below you’ll find a list of selected past conferences and webinars.

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