Largest Suction Sail System to be Installed on General Cargo Vessel

The tallest suction sail to be installed on a general cargo ship will be fitted in mid-2025 (Bound4blue)

Published Oct 22, 2024 7:35 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

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.
 

Nuclear Transport Ship to Test UK’s First Rigid Sail

Pacific Grebe with the retrofitted wingsail (Image copyright CDFmedia.co.uk courtesy of NTS)

Published Oct 22, 2024 3:34 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

 

In a unique collaboration, a ship designed to transport spent nuclear fuel operating for the UK government will also become the first to trial a new wind-assisted propulsion technology. Pacific Grebe (4,900 dwt) arrived in Southampton, UK yesterday October 21, sporting the first-of-its-kind installation of the FastRig designed by a UK company Smart Green Shipping.

The ship, which was built in 2010, is one of the three designed specifically to transport nuclear material. It measures 341 feet (104 meters) and has four specially designed holds each shielded to carry up to a total of 20 flasks of nuclear waste. The ship operates for Nuclear Transport Solutions (NTS), part of the UK’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, a public body responsible for the clean-up of the UK’s nuclear legacy. The ship sails more than 10,000 miles on its voyages without stopping and operating at a speed of up to 14 knots.

The ship has left its home port of Barrow-in-Furness and will be running sea trials this month after receiving the first 20-meter (65-foot) FastRig, a retractable, rigid wing sail. The sail is manufactured from 100 percent recyclable materials. 

According to Smart Green Shipping (SGS), which is working with the University of Southampton on testing, the rigid wing will be capable of reducing fuel consumption by up to 30 percent. It employs an intelligent, autonomous system making it easy to operate, and requires a limited amount of deck space. It also can be retracted to enable port operations.

“NTS is allowing SGS to undertake formal sea trials which gives us accurate, independently verified performance data against which we can corroborate the digital models and tank testing results the University of Southampton have been developing,” explained Diane Gilpin, CEO of Smart Green Shipping.

The system underwent its first tests during the voyage to Southampton. The retraction system was demonstrated during presentations in Southampton.

 

The rigid sail is 65 feet high (Image copyright CDFmedia.co.uk courtesy of NTS)

 

The FastRig wingsail the companies explained is a lightweight, retractable solution that uses specialist sensors and automated technology to adapt to changing weather conditions, allowing it to deploy and retract as necessary to ensure both fuel efficiency and safety.

“While this is still a trial at this stage, it’s the first real-world application of this wing and could change the way all ships sail, drastically reducing emissions and fuel usage across the industry,” said Pete Buchan, NTS’s Managing Director of Shipping. “We’re really proud of the role we’ve had in this project and can’t wait to see the final results of the trial.”

The trial is part of the growing number of ships and shipping companies looking to wind-assisted propulsion in their effort to enhance sustainable operations. Smart Green Shipping reports it has received a further $2.6 million in funding from Drax, a UK renewable energy company, and a matching grant from the UK’s Clean Maritime competition.

Soft Sails to be Studied by Orix and Sumitomo in Bulker Demonstration

Demonstration project will test soft sails on a bulker (Sumitomo Heavy Inudstires)

Published Oct 21, 2024 3:43 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

In a new project, Japan’s Orix Corporation working with Sumitomo Heavy Industries plans to study the feasibility and conduct a demonstration using soft sails to provide wind-assisted propulsion on a larger bulker.  It is a new version of wind-assisted propulsion for large commercial ships which so far has mostly focused on larger solid sails and wing foils as well as rotors.

The companies are working with North Sails Japan which manufactures high-quality soft sails that have been used on award-winning racing boats in the Olympics as well as other world competitions as well as on long-distance and cruising sailboats. North Sails Japan reports it is developing a furling sail made of UltraPE (Dyneema) laminated cloth for the text aboard one of Orix’s existing vessels.

Sumitomo Heavy Industries and North Sails Japan will handle the design of the wind-assisted propulsion system, including the soft sails, as well as the analysis of the operational data when the sails are in use. Orix will be responsible for the installation of the soft sail and for measuring and collecting fuel efficiency data during operation. The energy-saving effects will be calculated as theoretical values based on the data obtained from this experiment.

The wing-shaped soft sails will be installed on the derrick post of the bulk carrier to obtain wind power as assisting power for the ship’s propulsion. The soft sail, made of advanced polyethylene fiber fabric, will measure approximately 26 feet in height by 43 feet in width and the angle of attack can be adjusted depending on the wind direction. The actual number of sails installed may differ from the illustration they noted.

The companies report through this feasibility study, that the aim is to improve the fuel efficiency of existing vessels while deepening their knowledge in utilizing wind-assisted propulsion power. They look to advance efforts toward the practical application of this system.