Dock operatives of Ronayne Shipping, part of Irish Mainport Holdings, were discharging fertilizer in the Port of Cork recently from a short-sea cargo ship that had distinctive towers mounted at the stern, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The 2,850-dwt vessel, Eems Traveller, of Amasus Shipping B.V. based in Delfzijl, had berthed alongside the city’s north central quays, where onlookers observed the two large white towers.

Senior personnel of the Mainport Group met the vessel’s Captain Anton, who explained that the (rigid eSAILs®) towers are each 18 meters in height, weigh 25 tons, and were designed by the Spanish company Bound4Blue.

The units are known as sucking sails, and have similar technology to the wings of an airplane. Each sail has a large-capacity electric fan atop it, responsible for sucking in the air to ensure the airflow remains attached to the sail.

With ideal wind direction, the sails can save up to 9% in fuel usage and achieve 1.5 knots for the almost 91-metre dry-cargo ship built in 2000.

In addition, there are the benefits of decarbonisation, which has taken place since the installation of the automated wind-assisted propulsion systems in July last year.

Airbus On Board and Suction Sails Aloft

The rigid sail technology specialist, with its headquarters based in Barcelona, just last month, had the same system for the French operator, Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) Group, installed on their 5,400 dwt ro-ro Ville de Bordeaux. In this case, using three slightly higher eSAILs® of 22m each on the 2004-built vessel, which is chartered by subsidiary LD Seaplane to the major multinational aircraft manufacturer, Airbus.

This has set a new milestone for Bound4Blue as it marks the first-ever fixed suction sail installation on a ro-ro ship with a top-tier European shipowner. LDA had a ferry subsidiary, LD Lines, which operated a Rosslare-Le Havre route, their first Ireland-France route, but ceased when, in 2011, they sub-chartered the Norman Voyager to Irish-based Celtic Link Ferries, which ran the ropax also out of the Wexford ferryport but instead to neighbouring Cherbourg.

Celtic Link Ferries (see story) Ireland-France route was acquired by Stena Line a decade ago. As for the LD Seaplane's ro-ro Ville de Bordeaux, which last month departed a shipyard in Vigo, Spain, from where its brand-new suction sail system was installed following foundation deck works in Poland last year. The technology on board could potentially save up to 1,800 tons of CO2 emissions annually.

On this date a month ago, Ville de Bordeaux departed Saint Nazaire (Montoir-de-Bretagne) France (on its maiden voyage with the eSAILs®) bound for Mobile, Alabama, USA, based on a voyage of approximately two weeks with a call via Belfast Harbour.

The Ville de Bordeaux is designed to transport A320 family components from Europe for final assembly at the aircraft manufacturer’s US factory in Mobile. Afloat today tracked the vessel in France, following its return to Montoir, exactly a month after departing for the US north central Gulf coast port.

In 2014, LD Lines launched the first ever passenger /freight ferry route linking Ireland and Spain through Gijón, with an en route port of call of Saint Nazaire (also Montoir) in western France.

In addition the company operated UK-Spain links and those on the English Channel, including Louis Dreyfus Transmanche Ferries (LDTF) use of twin yellow-hulled ferries on the Newhaven-Dieppe link, but LDTF's contract concluded in 2007.

The classic former UK-France railway operated route linking London-Paris, dating to the early 19th century, is currently operated by Danish ferry firm, DFDS on behalf of a local public authority (SMPAT) and continues to be branded as Transmanche Ferries.

Another French operator, Brittany Ferries, today Afloat highlights, celebrates its 20th year of flagship service by Pont-Aven on the Cork-Roscoff route, having made its inaugural France-Ireland round trip on the 2,3 and 4 April, 2004.