The China Merchant Energy Shipping company (CMES) has taken delivery of a supertanker, the M/V 'New Aden', whose four large sails will cut down average fuel consumption by nearly 10%, reported New Atlas.

The supertanker, delivered by China's Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co (DSIC), is 333m in the 'very large crude carrier' class. According to a press release, it has "outstanding overall performance such as optimisation of operational performance of the ship, reduction of fuel consumption, enhancement of sailing performance in wind and waves, which contribute well to safety and environment protection".

Launched on September 24, the M/V 'New Aden' has four retractable sails, each rising 40m from the deck and presenting a 1,200-sq-m surface, mounted near the middle of the long deck.

Corrosion-resistant carbon fibre blades

The low weight, high strength, and corrosion-resistant carbon fibre blades can be raised or lowered at the touch of a button, thanks to a system called the Aerofoil Sails Intelligent Control System. It monitors the prevailing conditions at sea, navigation data, and sail operation efficiency, and improves the sail's adaptability to the 'complex' operating conditions of the vessel, making the most use of available wind.

The system can also monitor the status of the power supply, "communication self-check, hydraulic lifting, and electric rotation", to quickly locate the fault source. 

Nevertheless, the ship will still burn lots of diesel and is only a small implementation of the auto-sailing concept. The company's statement mentions the Middle East-Far East route at economical speed as an example and cites that it is expected to reduce average fuel consumption by more than 9.8%, saving an estimated 2,900 tons of carbon dioxide emissions during each journey.