Odfjell’s Chemical Tanker BOW Olympus Gets bound4blue’s Wind Propulsion

bound4blue and Odfjell have partnered to complete the first installation of a wind propulsion system for the chemical tanker specialist, with four of bound4blue’s eSAILs retrofitted on the 49’k dwt Bow Olympus

The 22-meter-tall suction sails will help the advanced vessel achieve significant fuel savings, unlocking commercial, environmental and regulatory advantage. 

A tailored two-step installation process was deployed to accommodate the vessel’s schedule, with the installation completed in just two days.

Firstly, sail pedestals were fitted during a planned drydocking, before the eSAILs were lifted into place at EDR Antwerp Shipyard.

Due to the outstanding coordination among the three parties, the installation was efficiently completed in just two days.

bound4blue’s fully autonomous eSAILs, which generate propulsive efficiency by dragging air across an optimized aerodynamic profile, were selected by Odfjell following a deep-dive study of competing wind propulsion system solutions by research institute RISE (formerly SSPA). 

"We’re excited to support Odfjell in adopting wind propulsion technology within the maritime industry. Installing wind propulsion technology on a vessel like this can be challenging due to ATEX zones and air draft limitations.

“However, the mechanical simplicity of eSAILs offers a smooth solution, allowing for the installation of non-ATEX units, which helps reduce CAPEX and simplifies the installation process. Indeed, this is a key attraction for the tanker marker, as shown by the increasing number of projects from this crucial segment now populating our orderbook,” said David Ferrer, Co-founder and CTO of bound4blue.

Odfjell now joins owners such as Amasus, Eastern Pacific Shipping and Louis Dreyfus Armateurs with operational eSAILs, with major shipping companies such as Maersk Tankers, Marflet Marine and Klaveness Combination Carriers filling up a growing orderbook.

“We’ve made some major steps in minimizing our emissions, reducing our fleet’s carbon intensity by 53% against the 2008 baseline. We’ve done this through many operational measures and by installing a range of different energy saving devices.

“Wind power was the next step. bound4blue’s suction sails have been chosen so we can determine the potential of wind propulsion in the continued work to reduce our emissions.

“It’ll be very interesting to start gathering and analysing data on the carbon and fuel savings the Bow Olympus can achieve with the suction sails. That data will be fundamental in informing further decisions, as we continue to improve the environmental performance of our existing vessels, while preparing for future newbuilds that will be with us into- and beyond 2050,” added Erik Hjortland, VP Technology at Odfjell.