On 22 February Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS) signed a contract with bound4blue for windassisted ship technology to be fitted, with three 22m eSAILs® to be fitted on the 2019-built tanker Pacific Sentinel. The ‘suction sail’ technology, which drags air across an aerodynamic surface to generate propulsion, will be fitted later this year to the 183m 50,000dwt tanker to reduce overall consumption by approximately ten per cent, depending on vessel routing. bound4blue’s fully autonomous eSAIL® technology is suitable for both newbuilds and retrofit projects, and offers savings for a range of vessels, regardless of size and age. Pacific Sentinel’s three sails will use an autonomous control system to optimise power and reduce fuel consumption.
The three sails to be fitted to Pacific Sentinel will operate with no need for crew input and have low maintenance requirements.