A Wind-Assisted Propulsion System (WAPS) ship arrived in Halifax today, September 18, with a somewhat ironic cargo.
The ship, the Eems Traveller, is a typical gearless single hold vessel often seen in European waters, but due to its size is somewhat rarer as a transatlantic carrier. It is unique however because it has been equipped with two suction eSAILS [registered trademark] that provide added thrust and thus a saving in fuel costs. The 17 meter high towers on this ship, were (and may still be) the largest installation of their type.
The ship itself was built by the now defunct Tille Scheepsbouw in Kootstertille, Netherlands in 2000. A 2214 gt, 2930 dwt ship, it has sectional hatch covers and a travelling gantry to lift and stack the covers to provide clear access to the large hold.
Once alongside at Pier 9C a shoreside truck crane offloaded a single lift, an aircraft component carrier from Belfast which was landed directly on an extended truck chassis. Fuselage and wing and tail sections for aircraft are manufactured in Northern Ireland and brought to Canada where they are assembled and completed.
The developer of the eSAIL, bound4blue, installed the units in 2023. The foundations were installed during a regular drydocking in the Netherlands. The towers themselves were installed in Bilbao, Spain in a mere four hours.
The irony is that the suction eSAILs provide lift just aircraft wings do, however the thrust in this case is provided by wind.
The ship's operator, Amasus Shipping BV of Delfzijl, Netherlands, has a fleet of more than seventy ships, and can thus compare the benefits of the eSAILs to conventionally powered ships.
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