Bound4blue Secures $44 M Funding to Scale Wind‑Propulsion eSAILs for Global Shipping

bound4blue, a wind‑propulsion specialist for ships, has closed a $44 million funding round. The round was led by OCTAVE Capital (linked to shipowner IMC) and Katapult Ocean, with new investors such as Motion Ventures, the Odfjell family office, and the ReOcean Fund (managed by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and Monaco Asset Management). Existing backers—including Shift4Good, KAI Capital, GTT Strategic Ventures, and CDTI (Innvierte SICC) – also increased their stakes.

CEO May Liew of OCTAVE Capital said the investment reflects confidence that wind‑propulsion has shifted from “promising innovation” to “proven, scalable climate infrastructure,” offering immediate carbon‑reduction benefits for a sector still far from full fuel‑transition.

The capital will be used to industrialise the suction‑sail (eSAIL) technology and boost R&D, enabling production of hundreds of sails per year in Spain and China. To date, bound4blue has installed eSAILs on seven vessels and secured orders for 12 more, totaling over fifty sails once deliveries are complete. Clients include Maersk Tankers, Odfjell, Eastern Pacific Shipping, BW Epic Kosan, and Klaveness Combination Carriers.

Performance data (third‑party verified) shows:

• 1,7 t of daily fuel saved on the Ville de Bordeaux (peak 5,4 t);
• 15‑20 % average fuel reduction on Odfjell’s Bow Olympus, with up to 40 % savings on certain transatlantic legs.

bound4blue projects annual CO₂ savings exceeding 400 000 t by 2027, with a cumulative reduction of over 570 000 t between 2024‑2027. The suction sails can be fitted to existing ships or integrated into new builds, aligning with upcoming regulations (CII, EEXI/EEDI, FuelEU Maritime, EU ETS) that incentivise emission‑cutting technologies ahead of the 2030 deadline.