In a significant development for wind propulsion technology, bound4blue has successfully secured a US$44 million funding round, supported by a diverse group of maritime corporates, ship-owning families, climate-centric investors, and governmental funding.
Spearheaded by OCTAVE Capital and Katapult Ocean, the initiative also attracted new stakeholders, such as Motion Ventures, the Odfjell family office, and the ReOcean Fund, under the stewardship of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and Monaco Asset Management.
Existing supporters, including Shift4Good, GTT Strategic Ventures, KAI Capital, and CDTI (Innvierte SICC), also reinforced their investment to drive the company's vision forward.
Strategies for growth and innovation
The influx of capital marks a pivotal moment for bound4blue.
According to CEO and Co-Founder José Miguel Bermúdez, "This round signals a new phase for bound4blue. Earlier stages focused on proving the technology and validating its impact; now this new capital reinforces the long-term backing we already have from investors who understand shipping and share our industrial vision and the role this technology will play across the fleet.”
Bermúdez further emphasised the company's future direction, stating, "This funding enables us to expand capacity, accelerate our growth roadmap and advance new developments that will elevate both the technology and our services to the next level."
Advancement of suction sails
The company plans to enhance its manufacturing capabilities to produce hundreds of suction sails annually
The investment underscores a growing consensus within the maritime sector that suction sails are a viable solution for immediate and scalable decarbonisation.
This fresh funding is intended to propel bound4blue's transition towards the comprehensive industrialisation of its suction sails technology, along with intensifying research and development efforts. Responding to growing market demands, the company plans to enhance its manufacturing capabilities to produce hundreds of suction sails annually.
Impact of bound4blue’s technology
Field data continues to demonstrate the substantial impact bound4blue's systems have on operational efficiency. With technology already installed on seven vessels and an additional twelve under order, the portfolio spans notable industry players including Maersk Tankers, Eastern Pacific Shipping, and Odfjell, highlighting bound4blue's reputation as a trusted partner within the sector.
By 2027, it is anticipated that their technology will prevent over 570,000 tons of CO₂ emissions – equivalent to removing around 87,000 passenger vehicles from roads annually or planting more than 18 million trees.
Industry endorsements and future directions
Discussing the investment, May Liew, CEO at OCTAVE Capital, remarked on the role of wind propulsion systems within maritime decarbonisation, saying, “We invested in bound4blue because wind propulsion systems have moved from promising innovation to proven, scalable climate infrastructure.”
Jonas Skattum Svegaarden, CEO at Katapult Ocean, echoed this sentiment, expressing confidence in bound4blue’s capabilities, stating that their "technical performance, commercial traction, and global supply chain ambition" position them as a critical leader in the ocean economy’s sustainable transition.
Sustainability and regulatory compliance
These sails help ships achieve compliance with regulatory frameworks like CII, EEXI/EEDI, and FuelEU Maritime
Bound4blue's 'eSAILs®' are designed to harness wind power to reduce engine demand and fuel consumption, which translates into lower operating expenses and CO₂ emissions. These sails help ships achieve compliance with regulatory frameworks like CII, EEXI/EEDI, FuelEU Maritime, and the EU ETS.
Verified testing on various vessels, such as Ville de Bordeaux and Odfjell’s Bow Olympus, shows significant fuel savings, illustrating the technology’s potential to slash emissions during operation while bringing immediate economic benefits.
Readiness for a retrofit revolution
As the maritime industry approaches what is being termed the "retrofit decade," the need for efficiency upgrades becomes pressing. Suction sails like those offered by bound4blue offer a ready-to-deploy solution, distinct from alternative fuels that are still in development.
These systems are increasingly being integrated into new vessel designs, providing a viable option for cutting fuel costs and emissions from inception, making bound4blue uniquely positioned to contribute to ongoing retrofit and newbuild projects.
bound4blue, a pioneer in wind propulsion systems, has closed a US$44 million funding round backed by pioneering maritime corporates, ship owning families, climate-focused investors and government capital.
The round was led by OCTAVE Capital, an investment platform affiliated with major shipowner: IMC, and Katapult Ocean. The round brings together new investors, including Motion Ventures, Odfjell family office and ReOcean Fund - led by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and Monaco Asset Management - alongside existing investors Shift4Good, GTT Strategic Ventures, KAI Capital and CDTI (Innvierte SICC), who strengthened their commitment to the company.
Advance new developments
“This round signals a new phase for bound4blue. Earlier stages focused on proving the technology and validating its impact; now this new capital reinforces the long-term backing we already have from investors who understand shipping and share our industrial vision and the role this technology will play across the fleet,” said José Miguel Bermúdez, CEO & Co-Founder of bound4blue.
“This funding enables us to expand capacity, accelerate our growth roadmap and advance new developments that will elevate both the technology and our services to the next level. It confirms that bound4blue is built on solid foundations and positioned for sustained global deployment,” he added.
Full industrialisation of suction sails
The investment underscores a growing industry consensus: suction sails are emerging as the leading pathway for immediate, scalable decarbonisation across the global fleet with commercial gains.
The new funding will accelerate bound4blue’s shift into full industrialisation of suction sails and support efforts to deepen R&D as the company looks to grow beyond existing commercial offerings. The company is also responding to increased market demand by expanding manufacturing capacity to supply hundreds of suction sails annually.
Impact bound4blue’s systems
Operational data continues to confirm the scale of impact bound4blue’s systems have had across several fleets. The company has already installed its technology on seven vessels, with a further twelve ships in the orderbook - representing more than fifty sails in total.
These projects span pioneering owners such as Maersk Tankers, Eastern Pacific Shipping, Odfjell, Klaveness Combination Carriers and BW Epic Kosan, reinforcing bound4blue’s position as a preferred partner for forward-thinking players across the sector.
By 2027, the company is expected to deliver annual CO₂ savings of more than 400,000 tons, with over 570,000 tons avoided in total between 2024 and 2027 - the equivalent of removing around 87,000 passenger cars from the road each year, planting more than 18 million trees, or avoiding over 250,000 transatlantic flights. This will be done through parallel production lines in Spain and China, enabling higher production throughput, stronger supply-chain resilience and faster delivery schedules.
Long-dated fuel transitions
May Liew, Chief Executive Officer at OCTAVE Capital, said: “We invested in bound4blue because wind propulsion systems have moved from promising innovation to proven, scalable climate infrastructure. For the maritime sector, where long-dated fuel transitions remain critical but still years from wide-scale adoption, this technology provides the real and immediate carbon emissions reductions needed right now."
" With bound4blue industrialising production across both Europe and Asia, the team is well positioned it to lead the category worldwide. As an impact-driven investor with an interest in decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors, we believe bound4blue will play a critical role in accelerating shipping’s transition while delivering measurable carbon savings from day one.”
Bound4blue as wind propulsion
Jonas Skattum Svegaarden, CEO at Katapult Ocean, added: “After years of looking for the right opportunity in this space, we were driven to invest in bound4blue as wind propulsion has clearly shifted from experimental concept to bankable decarbonisation tool, and bound4blue in particular has proven it can deliver meaningful, verifiable fuel and emissions reductions at a category-defining pace."
"As the team scales into Asia and deepens partnerships with pioneering shipowners, we’re confident that their combination of technical performance, commercial traction, and global supply chain ambition will make bound4blue a cornerstone solution in the transition to a cleaner, more resilient ocean economy.”
Bound4blue’s suction sails
By generating additional thrust from wind power, bound4blue’s suction sails ‘eSAILs®’ reduce engine loads and fuel consumption, cutting vessel operating costs (with double-digit savings) and CO₂ emissions. This greatly improves regulatory performance under frameworks like CII, EEXI/EEDI, FuelEU Maritime and EU ETS.
Independently verified results demonstrate consistent, tangible impact in service. On Ville de Bordeaux, third-party assessments reported daily fuel savings of 1.7 tonnes, with peaks reaching 5.4 tonnes. Separately, on Odfjell’s Bow Olympus, the system delivered average fuel-saving of 15-20%, with voyage-leg peaks of up to 40% reductions during its first transatlantic voyage. Verified under full operational conditions, bound4blue’s suction sails are delivering real savings now on vessels trading globally.
Efficiency upgrades before 2030
The maritime industry is entering what many describe as the “retrofit decade”, with tens of thousands of vessels requiring efficiency upgrades before 2030. Unlike alternative fuels, which face long timelines for global availability, engine compatibility and bunkering infrastructure, suction sails can be installed now, on the ships, operated by the crews.
The technology is also increasingly being incorporated into newbuild designs, where it offers an additional long-term lever to reduce fuel consumption and carbon exposure from day one. This position bound4blue to support both the large retrofit wave already underway and the growing number of newbuild projects integrating wind propulsion from the outset.
