Singapore-headquartered shipping company Eastern Pacific Shipping’s (EPS) has moved into wind-assisted propulsion with the eSAIL® installation on its tanker.
bound4blue has completed the installation of its eSAIL® suction sails on 50,000-dwt tanker vessel Pacific Sentinel at Besiktas Shipyard in Turkey during a planned drydocking.
The company bound4blue claims that it completed the entire process in one shipyard visit.
Three 22-metre, DNV type approved eSAILs® were installed on the vessel in under a day per unit, as planned.
The installation took place during a scheduled vessel drydock, bound4blue said, with preparatory work completed in advance.
According to bound4blue, the fully autonomous wind-assisted propulsion system (WAPS) will help the vessel reduce overall energy consumption with forecasted energy consumption savings of around 10% depending on vessel routing, slashing OPEX and emissions to air, while also enhancing regulatory compliance.
EPS, which signed the agreement for the Pacific Sentinel in February 2024 and has now completed this installation, further extended its collaboration with bound4blue in December 2024 through a new agreement for the installation of three eSAILs® on an MR tanker under construction at New Times Shipbuilding in Jiangsu Province, China. This installation is scheduled for late 2025.
The installation was completed along with guidance from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), ensuring compliance with classification and safety standards.
bound4blue has installed its solution on five vessels, with many more in its growing order book.
“Thanks to our collaboration with shipowners, operators, shipyards, and other key partners in all installations carried out by bound4blue, we have achieved a quick, robust, and high-quality deployment procedure. In this case the vessel and sails were fully prepared in advance, ensuring they could be lifted and bolted into place without extending the planned time at the yard,” said David Ferrer, Co-founder and CTO, bound4blue.
