Marflet Marine today announced it was adding to the growing number of companies opting to install wind propulsion systems to its ships.
The Spanish player has signed a contract with Bound4blue that will see four of its 'eSail' suction sails installed on oil and chemical tanker Santiago I.
The installation will take place in mid-2025.
Unlike other forms of wind propulsion system such as rotor sails, suction sails work by dragging air across an aerodynamic surface to generate propulsion.
Bound4blue claims fuel savings of 40% are possible while the system is in use. Operational modelling for Santiago indicates this should save around 10 and 15% of the ship's annual energy consumption with the reduced main engine loads.
The order comes at a time of growing interest not only for wind propulsion systems as a whole, but in Bound4blue's suction sail technology in particular.
Earlier this year Singapore-based shipping company Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS) and Louis Dreyfus both said they were installing the Bound4blue sails on its ships.
