Largest Suction Sail System to be Installed on General Cargo Vessel

Amasus, a European shortsea, bulk, and general cargo company, and Spain’s bound4blue have agreed to a second installation of the company’s suction sail technology, eSail, on one of the company’s cargo ships. The installation, which will be the second for Amasus, will also be the largest suction sail system on a general cargo vessel.

Under the terms of the newly announced agreement, a 22-meter (72-foot) unit will be retrofitted on a 90-meter (295-foot) cargo ship. They did not name the vessel but reported it is 3,000 dwt. The installation is scheduled for mid-2025 at the Astander Shipyard in Santander, Spain.

It is the latest advancement for a suction sail one of the competing technologies in the emerging wind-assisted propulsion category. Bound4blue highlights that its technology produces six to seven times more lift than a conventional sail.

The autonomous system works by dragging air across its aerodynamic surface to generate propulsive force. The suction sail uses an aerodynamic shape and is manufactured using marine-grade materials. It has a porous area of the skin through which the air is sucked while a suction fan at the top of the structure is responsible for sucking in the air to ensure the airflow remains attached to the sail. A flap is positioned using an electric motor to optimize the airflow and the entire structure rotates. 

It will be the second installation for Amasus working with Bound4blue. The company reports it decided to proceed with the new installation after assessing the impact of its first suction sails on Eems Traveller (2,850 dwt) which began testing in July 2023. They placed two suction sails standing 56 feet off the deck on the stern of the vessel.

Third party validation of the performance of the eSail on the vessel was provided by Lloyd’s Register, which reviewed the data from the operation of the Eems Traveller. They report the data is now being finalized and the figures will be released shortly.

Started in 2015, Bound4blue has developed several different models and sizes of its suction sail. They report the different models are well suited both for retrofits and newbuilds and can be applied to vessel segments, including, tankers, bulkers, Ro-Ros, cruises, ferries, gas carriers, and general cargo vessels. The company reports that shipowners and operators that have signed contracts in the past year include Eastern Pacific Shipping, Odfjell, Marflet Marine, and Louis Dreyfus Company.