Odfjell has signed a repeat contract with wind-assisted propulsion technology company bound4blue for the installation of four eSAIL suction sails aboard the 49,000-DWT chemical tanker Bow Optima, with the retrofit scheduled for Q2 2027 at a Chinese shipyard.

The order follows the installation of bound4blue's eSAIL systems aboard Bow Olympus, a sister vessel, in March 2025. According to Odfjell, the Bow Olympus installation has produced a 15–20% energy-saving effect in favourable but not optimal wind conditions, equivalent to approximately five tonnes of fuel saved per day and around 15 tonnes of CO₂ emissions avoided per day. The company has also reported fuel consumption reductions of up to 40% during operation.

Bow Optima, which operates in Odfjell's round-the-world trade, has already been prepared for wind-assisted propulsion during a scheduled drydocking, with eSAIL foundations, cabling and related deck ancillaries already in place. The four 22-metre-tall suction sails will be fitted to these foundations following delivery from bound4blue's production facilities in China.

Erik Hjortland, VP Technology at Odfjell, said: "Odfjell has taken a practical, data-led approach to vessel efficiency over many years, and Bow Olympus has given us valuable operational experience with wind-assisted propulsion in deep-sea chemical tanker trades. The documented results from the first installation have strengthened our confidence in continuing with wind propulsion on selected vessels. Bow Optima is a natural next step, and the project supports our wider objective of reducing fuel consumption, emissions and exposure to future cost pressures."

The contract is Odfjell's first repeat order with bound4blue. Odfjell has installed more than 140 energy-saving devices across its fleet over the past decade, and claims to have reduced carbon intensity by more than 53% compared with the International Maritime Organization's 2008 baseline. The company is targeting a further improvement to 57% by 2030.

Bound4blue's eSAIL is a fully automated suction sail technology that uses an aerodynamically optimised structure and active airflow control to generate additional propulsive force from wind, allowing vessels to reduce engine load under suitable operating conditions. The system is said to generate forward thrust up to seven times greater than conventional rigid sails of the same size and is described as mechanically simple and suitable for a broad range of vessel types, including tankers, bulk carriers, ro-ro vessels, cruise vessels, ferries, gas carriers and general cargo vessels.

At the time of the announcement, bound4blue said it had deployed eSAIL systems on 13 ships, with five more in its order book, representing more than 50 eSAIL units in total, with 10 installations completed or contracted for the tanker segment.

José Miguel Bermúdez, CEO and co-founder at bound4blue, commented: "Odfjell's repeat order is rooted in real operating experience, not just future ambition. Bow Olympus demonstrated how suction sail technology can contribute to meaningful fuel savings in the demanding environment of deep-sea chemical tanker operations, and Bow Optima shows how that learning can be carried into further fleet deployment. We value the consolidated partnership with Odfjell, whose disciplined approach to decarbonisation and performance monitoring is exactly what the market needs as wind-assisted propulsion moves from first projects to repeat adoption."

The two-phase approach adopted on Bow Optima — completing preparatory foundation and cabling work during an earlier yard period and deferring sail installation to a later date — is intended to reduce the scope of work required during the Q2 2027 installation window.

Bound4blue was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in Cantabria, Spain, with offices in Barcelona, Singapore, Shanghai and Suzhou. Odfjell, headquartered in Bergen, Norway, operates a fleet of approximately 70 chemical tankers and four tank terminals in the United States, South Korea and Belgium.