Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS) has strengthened its collaboration with bound4blue by contracting three 22-meter high eSAIL® suction sails. The fully autonomous Wind Assisted Propulsion System (WAPS) will be installed on a newbuild MR Tanker by New Times Shipbuilding in Jiangsu Province, China in late 2025.
This agreement follows EPS’s first project with bound4blue earlier this year, which involved retrofitting three eSAILs® on Pacific Sentinel, a 50,000dwt vessel, in February.
bound4blue is experiencing a surge in orders for its DNV Type Approved system, which works by dragging air across an aerodynamic surface to generate propulsive efficiency. This helps reduce vessel fuel use, OPEX and emissions to air, while also enhancing regulatory compliance.
In 2024 alone, bound4blue saw exponential growth, increasing from four projects on the orderbook to fourteen, with four installations up and running.
EPS’s decision to incorporate eSAIL® technology aligns with its broader decarbonisation strategy, which includes dual-fuel vessels, biofuels, voyage optimization systems, and carbon capture technologies.