The project, selected by the Ports 4.0 fund in its first call for pre-commercial projects, has been successfully demonstrated in the Bilbao port environment.
The Port of Bilbao hosted the installation, on the commercial vessel EEMS Traveller, of the largest suction sails in the world, 17 meters high.The wind propulsion company bound4blue has been in charge of the installation of the two eSAILs sails on this general cargo vessel, owned by Amasus Shipping.
The installation, approved by Bureau Veritas, has been carried out within the framework of the Sails4Cargo project, co-financed by the Puertos 4.0 Fund of Puertos del Estado, and is supported by the Port Authority of Bilbao, Bilbao PortLab, Toro y Betolaza and Haizea Wind Group, the Port of Bilbao reported.
This innovative project is based on the use of a very thick airfoil equipped with an intelligent suction system to increase its aerodynamic efficiency, resulting in a technology that produces seven times more lift than an airplane wing, as explained by those responsible for the project.
This pilot test in a real environment has allowed the project to reach a state of technological maturity of TRL 7 as set out in the Ports 4.0 program.
The Ports 4.0 capital fund is the corporate open innovation model adopted by Puertos del Estado and the Spanish Port Authorities to attract, support and facilitate the application of talent and entrepreneurship to the Spanish public and private port-logistics sector in the context of the 4th industrial revolution.
The main objective of the Fund is to actively promote and incorporate disruptive or incremental innovation as an element of competitiveness, efficiency, sustainability, safety and security in the Spanish port-logistics sector, both public and private, to facilitate its transition to the 4.0 economy.
