Chemical tanker owner Odfjell says the latest progress in its first suction sail installation shows the technical feasibility and ‘very high potential’ of wind propulsion for the tanker segment, with the next year set to validate the fuel and emissions savings it can achieve in sea operations.
Odfjell’s project lead Jan Arne Opedal told Bunkerspot that the company is ‘increasingly confident’ following the recent completion of retrofitting work aimed at preparing the 49,000 DWT Bow Olympus for the installation of bound4blue’s eSAILs in January 2025.
Taking place during the vessel’s first five-year drydock at Chengxi, the works integrated the foundations of the four suction sails into the existing deck structure. Navigation lights were moved to remediate visual obstruction from the 22-metre-tall sails, while radars were adjusted and new cameras installed to enhance visibility.
This latest milestone shows how tanker-specific challenges, including limited deck space and compliance with requirements for hazardous areas and explosion-proof equipment can be overcome, said Opedal, Manager of Projects at Odfjell and Lead for the suction sail installation. ‘So far so good. We have not had any showstoppers.’
Opedal added that the real test will come when the sails will be mounted on their foundations in the new year, and data collection will begin on the fuel savings and emissions reductions delivered by the system in real sea conditions. ‘That will be the proof in the pudding, what do we get out of this when we start using it.’
Following the installation of the eSAILs, which is scheduled to take place during a port stay in the Rotterdam area in January, Odfjell intends to operate the vessel in areas with favourable wind conditions, including trade routes in the Pacific and the Atlantic.
More installations envisioned
Data gathered on the Bow Olympus will be determinant for Odfjell. The company indicated that it is considering retrofitting suction sails to more vessels in its fleet and installing the technology on its next generation of newbuilds, depending on the results of the first installation. ‘When we do these pilots, it is with the clear intention to roll out on several vessels if it proves to be a success,’ Odfjell’s Vice President Technology Erik Hjortland told Bunkerspot.
The rollout of wind power marks a step up towards the company’s goal of reaching a climate-neutral fleet by 2050, Hjortland remarked. The Norwegian company, which owns or manages around 50 vessels, has already reduced its carbon intensity by 53% compared to a 2008 baseline through operational improvements including enhanced data analysis, weather routing and regular hull cleanings, and the installation of over 140 energy-saving devices across its fleet.
‘We have done all the low-hanging fruit, so this is the next step’, Hjortland explained. ‘We think wind technology is what it takes now to move from 53% and upwards, because this gets more and more difficult. The next percentages are going to be a lot more difficult than the first 53%.’
Hjortland sees reducing vessels’ energy consumption as a necessity ahead of the transition to new fuels, helping ensure that the shipping sector requires smaller volumes of alternative fuels which will be scarce, with some necessitating large amounts of renewable energy for their production.
A ‘demo’ for the tanker segment
For the suction sail developer bound4blue, this first installation of their eSAILs on a tanker is a ‘key project’.
‘It’s important to show the market that our technology can be installed on tankers, that it works, and doesn’t stop the vessel from its commercial operations. It’s a great demo for the industry,’ commented David Ferrer, bound4blue’s CTO and co-Founder, in an interview with Bunkerspot.
The Spain-based company currently has its technology in operation on four vessels, including EEMS Traveller, a general cargo vessel owned by Amasus, and Louis Dreyfus Armateurs’ Ro-Ro ship Ville de Bordeaux. Ferrer expects that emission reduction figures from those two installations will be published by the end of the year, with third party validation from classification societies Lloyd’s Register and Bureau Veritas.
bound4blue has also secured contracts for two upcoming installations on tankers owned by Eastern Pacific Shipping and Marflet Marine.
The project with Odfjell has delivered encouraging insights for the tanker market, according to bound4blue. It demonstrated that the eSAILs can be installed outside hazardous areas, thereby ensuring that safety requirements are met without the need for costly modifications to the sails to incorporate additional explosion-proof equipment. ‘This allows us to have a cheaper project in the end in comparison to other technologies’, Ferrer highlighted.
Odfjell and bound4blue both report that the project has gathered significant industry attention. ‘It is absolutely clear that a lot of people follow this project with interest, because it has a very high potential’, Odfjell’s Vice President Technology Erik Hjortland remarked.
The owner has already delivered training to help its crew familiarise themselves with the system and learn how to operate it to make the most of wind conditions.
‘The crew onboard the Bow Olympus are now very motivated and look forward to getting the sails on board,’ said Jan Arne Opedal, the project lead for Odfjell. ‘There will come some new questions from different stakeholders in the industry that we have to tackle together. It is a first in this segment, and I think we will need to pave the way for more to come later.’
