First newbuild ships with Ventofoils christened

The new cruising liners Amadeus Sapphire and Sardius of shipping company De Bock Maritime in Alkmaar were blessed with holy water on Friday 5 July and christened with champagne by Marjan de Bock-Smit and Annelies Hutter.

The pair are in the final stages of completion at Holland Shipyards in Werkendam and are likely to be launched at the end of August. They are the first newbuild vessels equipped with VentoFoils from Econowind.

The Sapphire & Sardius are next-generation vessels in terms of sustainability. CO2 emissions are halved compared to the average shortsea vessel as in service in 2023.
The vessels are diesel-electric propelled, which has greatly increased operational reliability. Due to the modular design, the ships can easily be converted to another energy source at a later stage. The first ship, Saffier, will also be equipped with a wind-assist system for even further CO2 reduction: Ventofoils.
The Saffier & Sardius are cruising line coasters. Their masts can be flattened and the ship’s bridges lowered completely, allowing them to pass under low bridges. With this low clearance height, they will also regularly visit the Rhine, the Albert Canal and other inland waterways. Both vessels have an open-top certification, which means that, with a reduced draught, the vessels are allowed to sail with open hatches in order to carry cargo that is higher than the depth of the hold.

Cost-effective

The Amadeus Sapphire will be the first to sail with auxiliary wind propulsion. With the Sardius, the basics are in place and, depending on the success with the first ship, the ‘sails’ can be installed quickly.
During a recent meeting of technical specialists from the Dutch shipowners organization KVNR at the Marin research institute in Wageningen, extra attention was given to wind propulsion. Shipping companies that had VentoFoils fitted to existing ships in the early stages concluded that ‘wind-assisted propulsion is cost-effective, sustainable and future-proof’. Shipping company De Bock Maritime, for example, is joining the trend by being the first shipping company to install VentoFoils on newbuilds.

Only sailing on wind

The idea of using a wing profile for wind propulsion dates back to the 1980s and came from French naturalist Jacques Cousteau. Groningen-based Econowind began developing the wings for marine propulsion in 2016. The VentoFoils are 16 metres high and deliver fuel savings of 5-10%. Frank Nieuwenhuis, technical developer at Econowind since 2018, expects that a higher percentage can be achieved on the Amadeus Sapphire and that it is “in principle possible to sail only on the VentoFoils”. At the push of a button, the wings can be positioned.
Captain Marnix Vlielander is the first captain to set sail with the ship. ‘I know the Amadeus ships well but sailing with VentoFoils is new to us. We will receive training ashore and the first week someone from Econowind will sail with us. We are curious.

Read the whole article by Truus den Hartog in the Schuttevaer (Dutch only).

Image: De Bock Martime.