‘7x more’ thrust: 72-foot sail powers world’s first wind-assisted multipurpose cargo ship

Wind propulsion company bound4blue has completed the installation of a 22-metre (72-foot) tall suction sail on the 292-foot (89-metre) cargo ship Na Hiro E Pae. This makes it the “first multipurpose vessel” worldwide to adopt a wind propulsion system. The unit was fitted at the Astilleros Armon Vigo yard in Spain for Greek shipping firm Société de Navigation des Australes SNA Tuha’a Pae. An autonomous vertical sail uses suction technology to draw air over this shape, creating propulsive thrust that decreases the mechanical burden on the vessel’s primary engines. The Na Hiro E Pae combines the suction sail with several other onboard green technologies.