Syroco weather routing to benefit Odfjell sail installations
Each vessel will feature four bound4blue suction sails (Source: Odfjell)
Norway’s Odfjell is to deploy Syroco weather routing on Bow Olympus and Bow Optima, two vessels each about to be retrofitted with four bound4blue suction sails.
Odfjell expects that the weather routing capability will be able to optimise utilisation of the sails for propulsion, striking a balance of catching favourable winds while ensuring that additional fuel is not burned in the process, something of some concern for wind-powered vessels.
The bound4blue eSail suction sails are highly flexible, offering an additional boost to ship propulsion over a wide range of possible wind angles. Some small benefit is provided even by almost-direct headwinds approaching the vessel at an angle of as little as ten degrees, though the benefit of side- and tailwinds is much greater.
With wind patterns expected to become less predictable in the face of climate change, up-to-date weather routing information is likely to be crucial for wind-assisted vessels in the coming decades.
"Through data-driven decisions and investment in new technology, we optimise the way we operate, to documented results,” said Erik Hjortland, VP Technology at Odfjell. “The deployment of Syroco’s solution on the first vessels with sail technology is part of our continued optimisation. We look forward to seeing the results.”
