In another major step towards bringing rigid sails onto powered ships, Eco Marine Power (EMP) announced that it has signed a patent license agreement with Teramoto Iron Works Ltd concerning patents related to EMP’s EnergySail and Aquarius MRE technologies.
Teramoto Iron Works was selected to manufacture the first production version of EMP’s EnergySail in 2016 and this latest agreement with EMP paves the way to full commercial production once sea trials have been completed.
The patented EnergySail is an automated rigid sail device that enables ships to utilize the power of the wind to reduce fuel consumption and lower vessel emissions. It can also be fitted with flexible marine-grade solar panels or other devices and used to charge batteries or the electrical power fed into a ships power system. Alternatively, an EnergySail array can be incorporated into EMP’s Aquarius MRE (Marine Renewable Energy) solution.
“I am proud that our company is at the forefront of bringing the EnergySail towards commercial production and that we are able to demonstrate again, our ability to manufacture high quality and specialized solutions for shipping,” commented Mr. Yoshitaka Teramoto, President of Teramoto Iron Works.
