bound4blue

About bound4blue

bound4blue is a Spanish company founded in 2014 by José Miguel Bermúdez Miquel, Cristina Aleixendri Munoz, and David Ferrer, who are all aeronautical engineers. The company develops and manufactures automated wind-assisted propulsion systems (WAPS) for the shipping industry, designed to reduce fuel consumption and pollutant emissions. Corporate headquarters are in Cantabria, Spain, with additional offices in Barcelona and Singapore.

The core product is the eSAIL®, a suction sail that generates thrust from wind to reduce a ship's engine load. This technology is an evolution of the concept developed by Commandant Cousteau in the 1980s. The eSAIL® system uses an electric fan to create suction on its surface, which generates six to seven times more lift than a conventional rigid sail, allowing for a smaller and more compact design. The system is fully autonomous, requiring no action or training from the crew, and can be monitored from the ship's bridge. It is designed for both retrofitting on existing vessels and for installation on newbuilds, with a reported payback period of under five years. The technology is applicable to a wide range of vessels, including tankers, bulkers, Ro-Ros, ferries, gas carriers, and general cargo ships.

Since its founding, bound4blue has secured significant funding from both public and private investors. As of December 2025, the company had raised a total of $67 million over 10 funding rounds. A notable Series A round in September 2023 raised €15.9 million, led by GTT Strategic Ventures, with participation from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund and Louis Dreyfus Company Ventures. This was followed by a $44 million funding round in December 2025, led by OCTAVE Capital and Katapult Ocean, to accelerate the industrialization and manufacturing of its suction sails. The company has installed its technology on seven vessels, with an order book for 13 more ships, representing over 50 eSAILs®. Its client list includes major industry names like Maersk Tankers, Eastern Pacific Shipping, Odfjell, Louis Dreyfus Company, and Klaveness Combination Carriers. To meet demand, the company has established outsourced production capabilities in Spain and China, with the capacity to produce hundreds of units annually.