Ro-Ro ‘Ville de Bordeaux’ Saves 568 Tons of Fuel with Wind Propulsion Technology

Spain-based bound4blue’s eSAIL® is reporting that its wind propulsion technology has shown significant fuel savings on the Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) owned Ville de Bordeaux ro-ro vessel, according to third-party assessment results released this week.

The vessel, which transports Airbus subassemblies between Europe and the United States, achieved an average daily fuel saving of 1.7 metric tons across 12 months after installing three 22-meter bound4blue suction sail units in 2024.

The installation marked the company’s first installation in the Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro-Ro) sector and third overall.

Bureau Veritas Solutions Marine & Offshore (BVS), part of the Bureau Veritas Group, confirmed annual savings of 568 metric tons of fuel and 2,181 metric tons of CO? emissions (Well-to-Wake), with peak daily fuel savings reaching as high as 5.4 metric tons.

“We’re thrilled to see this hard-working vessel making significant daily savings, with really exciting peak numbers that demonstrate huge potential,” said David Ferrer, CTO of bound4blue. “These results showcase how existing vessels – and not just newbuilds that have been designed for energy efficiency and wind propulsion – can harness this clean, renewable and accessible power source for transformative benefits.”

The company notes that the Ville de Bordeaux results are particularly notable as they were achieved without relying on weather routing and without accounting for the regulatory advantages of adopting wind propulsion.

Mathieu Muzeau, Transport & Logistics Managing Director at LDA, commented: “It’s hugely rewarding to see the scale of savings enabled through this early adoption, while the performance achieved was also noteworthy – with a boost to vessel speed – as was the complete simplicity of operation.”

The eSAIL® system features a sail-like vertical surface and an electric-powered air suction system, creating up to seven times more lift compared to conventional rigid sails, according to bound4blue. By helping the airflow to re-adhere to the sail, the system generates additional lift, thereby reducing the load on the ship’s main engines. The system also has six to seven times less surface area, allowing more compact installations with reduced deck space requirements and easier retrofitting across various vessel types.

Industry adoption of the technology is growing rapidly, with recent installations on vessels owned by Odfjell, Eastern Pacific Shipping, and Louis Dreyfus Company. Major orders have also been placed by Maersk Tankers, Marflet Marine, and Klaveness Combination Carriers.

Regulatory benefits are driving uptake, as the technology helps shipowners comply with FuelEU Maritime regulations and the EU Emissions Trading System while positively impacting CII ratings.

With a typical payback period of less than five years, bound4blue’s eSAILs® are suitable for both newbuilds and retrofitting across diverse vessel segments including tankers, bulkers, ro-ros, cruise ships, ferries, gas carriers, and general cargo vessels.

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