Maersk Tankers places world’s largest yet suction sail order

In what will be the world’s largest deployment of suction sales to date, Maersk Tankers is to fit bound4blue eSAILs on five of its MR vessels, Each of the five tankers will be fitted with four 26-meter eSAILs, bringing Barcelona-headquartered bound4blue its largest wind assisted propulsion system (WAPS) contract to date.

Maersk Tankers identified the eSAIL as its solution of choice in partnership with green technology specialist Njord Solutions, which assessed and evaluated a broad range wind-assisted propulsion systems to ensure optimal environmental and commercial impact on the target project vessels and their expected future trading.

Bound4blue will supply and install the suction sails, while Njord, which was initially founded by Maersk Tankers, will also lead the integration and installation of the systems and validate the resulting fuel savings.

The autonomous eSAILs work by dragging air across an aerodynamic surface to generate lift and exceptional propulsive efficiency, reducing fuel consumption, OPEX and emissions.

Four of the turnkey units (20 in total) will be installed on the Maersk Tankers vessels Maersk Tacoma, Maersk Tampa, Maersk Tangier, Maersk Teesport, and Maersk Tokyo. The suction sails are expected to deliver double-digit percentage reductions in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions per vessel.

“For the tanker industry to progress in the energy transition, concrete investments and actions are essential,” said Maersk Tankers chief investment officer Claus Grønborg. “At Maersk Tankers, we are committed to leading by example, continuously adopting advanced energy-efficient technologies to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. By implementing wind-assisted propulsion systems at scale in our fleet, we enable our customers to meet their sustainability targets, while also advancing the objectives of FuelEU Maritime and the EU Emissions Trading System.”

Maersk Tankers first introduced WAPS technology to its fleet in 2018 with the installation of rotor sails on the Maersk Pelican. Additional initiatives to promote sustainability across the Maersk Tankers fleet include optimizing energy efficiency through analytics-driven tools, investing in energy-saving devices (ESDs), and actively exploring alternative marine fuels such as methanol and ammonia.

The post Maersk Tankers places world’s largest yet suction sail order appeared first on Marine Log.