bound4blue's suction sail cracks the LPG carrier market
Key points
Key takeaways from a Maritime Innovations TV interview with bound4blue co-founder and Deputy CEO Cristina Aleixendri (November 2025):
First LPG carrier win. bound4blue signed its first contract in the LPG carrier segment with BW Epic Kosan, fitting a 24-metre eSAIL on the 2007-built Helena Kosan with a plug-and-play installation slated for 2026.
Non-ATEX competitive edge. A patented design lets non-explosion-proof equipment be installed above the hazardous zone 1 and zone 2 areas of tankers and LPG carriers, avoiding costly ATEX-certified hardware that adds capex with no performance gain and lengthens payback.
Suction-sail economics. The eSAIL draws air through perforations via an internal fan to generate up to roughly seven times the lift per square metre of a rigid sail, so smaller units suffice — cutting capex, opex, material use and impact on visibility and stability.
Profitability as the decarb lever. Aleixendri's core thesis: “you need to make sustainability profitable, not just a nice to have”, with fuel savings of up to 40% and a faster return on investment than ATEX add-ons being what convinces shipowners.
Scaling through partnerships. Manufacturing is deliberately not core — bound4blue works with wind-turbine industry manufacturers for lean, scalable production, and partners on complementary technologies such as weather routing and on market entry with regional players.
Co-development with owners. The system is iterated hand-in-hand with owners and operators across vessel types, including Eastern Pacific Shipping and Odfjell tankers, keeping the design responsive to market requirements.
2030 outlook. Per IWSA projections, wind propulsion could be installed on around 10,000 ships by 2030; Aleixendri expects it to shift from novelty to “must have” as the order book climbs, with bound4blue positioning as a leading supplier in a multi-technology decarbonisation mix.
Traction and backing. Since its first installation in 2021 the system has been deployed on seven ships with 12 more on order (over 50 eSAILs), and the company has raised more than $40m as it scales from a Spanish startup into a global supplier.
Read more: YouTube · bound4blue press release · Ship & Bunker
