Louis Dreyfus Company chooses bound4blue to install four eSAILs® on juice vessel

• Louis Dreyfus Company, a leading global merchant and processor of agricultural goods, has chosen bound4blue’s technology to install four 26-meter-high eSAILs® on its chartered juice vessel in 2024. 
• bound4blue currently holds the record for the largest suction sail ever constructed and installed on a vessel. 

Barcelona, Spain and Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 19 December, 2023 – bound4blue and Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) announced today a commercial agreement for the manufacture and installation of four eSAILs® on LDC’s chartered juice vessel, MV Atlantic Orchard, in collaboration with Wisby Tankers AB, Sweden (Wisby Tankers).  

Chartered by LDC and owned by Wisby Tankers, MV Atlantic Orchard will be retrofitted with four 26-meter-high eSAILs®. The installation of the eSAILs® is planned for 2024 and, depending on vessel routing, is expected to reduce annual fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by at least 10%.  

Being one of the key actors in the advancement and execution of maritime decarbonization solutions, bound4blue developed its cutting-edge eSAIL® system based on wind-assisted propulsion technology known as a suction sail. By harnessing wind power to propel vessels, this technology achieves a substantial reduction in fuel consumption and pollutant emissions. The eSAIL® system leverages a thick aerodynamic profile and intelligent suction mechanisms to enhance propulsive efficiency, yielding seven times more lift than an airplane wing. 

The decision to implement this technology was based on a third-party assessment study carried out by Lloyd’s Register, which evaluated a range of solutions and identified bound4blue’s suction sails as the most promising.  

José Miguel Bermúdez, CEO of bound4blue, says: “We’re pleased to announce our agreement with LDC to implement our eSAIL® system, demonstrating bound4blue’s ability to serve unique vessel types and affirming the maturity of our technology as a proven solution for fuel and emission reduction. LDC is at the forefront of adopting proven clean technologies to reduce carbon emissions in its fleet, and we are delighted to support them in their endeavor.” 

Sébastien Landerretche, LDC’s Global Head of Freight, explains: “Reflecting LDC’s commitment to help shape a low-carbon economy, we are actively contributing to the global shipping industry energy transition journey, in line with the IMO’s target to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from the sector by 2050. We are therefore very pleased to partner with two key maritime industry players, bound4blue and Wisby Tankers, to install this advanced sail technology aboard our chartered juice carrier.” 

Contact information: 

bound4blue
Dana Camps | T. +34 938 33 73 92 | press@bound4blue.com 

Louis Dreyfus Company
media@ldc.com 

About bound4blue 

bound4blue develops automated wind-assisted propulsion systems as a turnkey solution for all shipowners and shipping companies seeking to reduce fuel costs and polluting emissions. bound4blue’s eSAIL® system is a validated solution for saving fuel and emissions, completely autonomous, with low maintenance and easy installation onboard, being the most cost-efficient wind propulsion technology today. It is suitable for Tankers, Bulkers, Ro-Ros, Cruises, Ferries, Gas Carriers, and General Cargo vessels, regardless of their size or age. The company, founded in 2014 with a vocation clearly focused on the renewable energy sector in the maritime field, has its headquarters in Cantabria (Spain) and offices in Barcelona and Singapore. The company has installed its eSAIL® system on three ships and has signed additional agreements with other shipowners like Marubeni Corporation, Odfjell and Louis Dreyfus Armateurs to install the system on their fleets. 

 For more information, visit: www.bound4blue.com   

About Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) 

Louis Dreyfus Company is a leading merchant and processor of agricultural goods, founded in 1851. We leverage our global reach and extensive asset network to serve our customers and consumers around the world, delivering the right products to the right location, at the right time – safely, reliably and responsibly. Our activities span the entire value chain, from farm to fork, across a broad range of business lines (platforms): Carbon Solutions, Coffee, Cotton, Food & Feed Solutions, Freight, Global Markets, Grains & Oilseeds, Juice, Rice and Sugar. We help feed and clothe some 500 million people every year by originating, processing and transporting approximately 80 million tons of products. Louis Dreyfus Company is active in over 100 countries across six geographical regions and employs approximately 17,000 people globally.

For more information, visit www.ldc.com and follow us on LinkedIn, X and WeChat (ID: we_are_ldc). 

This project is funded by the European Union under grant agreement No. 101103465 from Innovation Fund programme.  

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.