Shipowner Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS) is the latest to opt for wind-assisted propulsion, signing a deal to take on the new technology on board its product tanker Pacific Sentinel
Three 22-m columns, dubbed ’eSAILS’ by the maker Bound4blue, will straddle Pacific Sentinel. The ‘suction sail’, which drags air across an aerodynamic surface to generate propulsive efficiency, will be fitted later this year, assisting the 183-m 50,000-dwt oil and chemical tanker.
Like other wind-assisted propulsion makers, Bound4blue touts its eSAIL technology as suitable for both newbuilds and retrofit projects. A growing number of vessel owners are opting for wind-assisted propulsion technology with big names Oldendorff, Berge Bulk and Mitsubishi among them.
Working in tandem with existing propulsion systems on Pacific Sentinel, the three eSAILs will use an autonomous control system to optimise power and reduce engine load and fuel consumption.
EPS said it hopes to cull overall energy consumption by approximately 10% depending on vessel routeing, explaining its decision was influenced in part by new international regulations monitoring vessel emissions.
EPS chief executive Cyril Ducau stated, “Over the past six years, our investments in projects including dual-fuel vessels, carbon capture, biofuels, voyage optimisation technology and more have allowed us to reduce our emissions intensity by 30% and achieve an annual efficiency ratio of 3.6 CO2g/DWT-mile in 2023, outperforming our emissions intensity targets ahead of schedule. The addition of the Bound4blue’s ground breaking wind-assisted propulsion will enhance our efforts on this path to decarbonise.”
Bound4blue chief executive and co-founder José Miguel Bermudez called the EPS deal a significant milestone for his company and said a major shipowner taking on the technology showed the industry’s growing confidence in the technology.
He said, “It’s exciting to secure our first contract in Singapore, particularly with EPS, a company known for both its business success and its environmental commitment. We see the company as a role model for shipping in that respect. This is a milestone development, one that we hope will pave the way for future installations across the EPS fleet, further solidifying our presence in the region.”
“With this project, we are confident the emissions reductions gained through eSAILs on Pacific Sentinel will help us better evaluate the greenhouse gas reduction potential of wind-assisted propulsion on our fleet in the long run.”
Pacific Sentinel will achieve a wind assisted notation from class society ABS once the sails are installed in Q4 2024.
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