First Multipurpose Cargo Vessel Installs Wind-Assisted Propulsion

The global shipping industry is witnessing a significant increase in the number of cargo ships deploying wind-assisted propulsion as part of efforts to cut down on energy consumption and emissions. The industry is now pushing the boundaries as the first multipurpose cargo vessel was fitted with wind-assisted propulsion.

Spanish wind propulsion company bound4blue announced that it has completed the installation of its eSail suction sail on the Na Hiro E Pae, a newbuild multipurpose vessel that will provide vital transport links between Tahiti and the remote Austral Islands. The 292-foot (89-meter) vessel was fitted with a 22-meter (72-foot) tall sail, becoming the first known multipurpose vessel worldwide to adopt a wind propulsion system.

Owned by Greek shipping company Société de Navigation des Australes SNA Tuha’a Pae, the vessel will offer services transporting passengers, food supplies, and general cargo between Tahiti and the South Pacific archipelago. Apart from a capacity of 200 passengers, the vessel is capable of transporting 1,500 tonnes of supplies. The ship is also outfitted with engines capable of running on biofuel or e-fuel as soon as it becomes commercially available in the region.

Bound4blue is highlighting that the installation of the eSail was a complex task that was carried out at its Astilleros Armon Vigo yard in Spain. The suction sail works by harnessing wind power to propel the vessel, employing an autonomous vertical sail with suction technology, dragging air over a thick aerodynamic profile.

The process generates seven times the propulsive force of a standard rigid sail of the same size, resulting in exceptional propulsive efficiency and greatly reducing the load on main engines, thus saving on fuel and significantly cutting emissions. In the case of Na Hiro E Pae, the system is expected to reduce energy consumption by 10 percent.

“Multipurpose vessels have traditionally been seen as a challenging segment for wind power due to the required flexibility of operations and related integration demands. This project demonstrates how systems suppliers, naval architects, shipowners, and other key stakeholders can solve such issues, collaborating closely to empower progress,” said José Miguel Bermúdez, bound4blue CEO.

The new ship forms part of efforts to modernize maritime transport links serving the Austral Islands and will provide services alongside the Tuhaa Pae IV, which was introduced on the route in 2012 and has been transporting essential products such as gasoline, gas, as well as passengers. Spreading across five inhabited islands, the Austral Islands in French Polynesia have a total population of approximately 7,000 people.

For bound4blue, which has been in operation for only 12 years, the installation of the system on Na Hiro E Pae is the latest in a series of high-profile deployments. So far, the eSail system has been installed on 12 vessels, with a further six vessels in its orderbook, representing more than 50 eSails in total.