bound4blue has completed the installation of four 22-metre eSAIL® suction sails aboard Marflet Marine’s Santiago I, in what the reporting describes as a landmark step for Spanish merchant shipping. Sources published the item on 4 September 2026.
The installation was carried out at EDR Antwerp Shipyard after the vessel underwent ‘‘wind ready’’ preparation work at IMC Shipyard in Zhoushan, China. The fitted devices are identified in the report as 22-metre eSAIL® suction sails supplied and installed by bound4blue.
According to the account, Marflet Marine becomes the first Spanish merchant fleet owner to commit to wind-assisted propulsion and to the specific use of suction sails. The companies involved framed the project as an installation milestone and a commercial commitment to that form of wind-assisted technology.
Installation sequence
The work programme described in the report involved two distinct phases: preparatory modifications at IMC Shipyard in Zhoushan followed by the physical installation at EDR Antwerp Shipyard. The arrangement of yard visits underlines a staged approach to fitting the four 22-metre sails to the Santiago I.
The hardware and the claim
The equipment installed is referred to throughout as eSAIL® suction sails and their length is given as 22 metres. reports records that bound4blue completed the installation and that Marflet Marine has committed its fleet ownership to wind-assisted propulsion using suction sails.
Taken together, the reported actions place both supplier and owner in a visible position on adoption of the eSAIL® approach, with the Santiago I reported as the first vessel in a Spanish merchant fleet to receive this specific installation.
The report does not provide further technical specifications, operational performance figures or commercial deployment schedules for the vessel following the installation. It limits its account to the completion of the fitting and the sequence of yards involved in preparing and installing the equipment.
Key factual points from the report are as follows:
• Four eSAIL® suction sails were installed. • Each sail is described as 22 metres in length. • Preparatory work was carried out at IMC Shipyard in Zhoushan, China. • Final installation took place at EDR Antwerp Shipyard. • bound4blue is reported as having completed the installation. • Marflet Marine is reported as the first Spanish merchant fleet owner to commit to wind-assisted propulsion and suction sails.
The account in reports presents the work as a noteworthy example of shipowner interest in wind-assisted options, and the completion of the physical installation is the central fact recorded in the item. The report is dated 4 September 2026 and attributes the sequence of events and the installations to the companies named.