Lloyd's Register Completes Independent Verification of SunRui Suction Sail Performance
Key Takeaways
- •Lloyd's Register independently verified the CFD analysis for SunRui's 6m x 26m suction sail, with the announcement made at SMM 2026 in Hamburg.
- •LR found the study complied with recognized standards including its Wind Assisted Propulsion Systems guidance notes, IACS Recommendation 173, and relevant ITTC procedures.
- •The study showed a single suction sail produces maximum thrust of 260kN, increasing to as much as 700kN with three sails simulated operating together on a ship.
- •Independently verified performance data is a key prerequisite for shipowners evaluating wind-assisted propulsion retrofits, since fuel savings vary with routing, wind conditions and vessel profile.
- •The technology's next likely step is progressing from simulated performance data to sea trials and commercial installations.
Lloyd's Register (LR) has completed an independent verification of the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis underpinning SunRui's suction sail technology. The verification, announced at SMM 2026 in Hamburg, covered SunRui's 6m x 26m suction sail, LR said in a press release on Friday.
SunRui says the verification strengthens confidence in the technical basis of its suction sail technology.
LR reviewed the aerodynamic performance and wind load calculations and found that the CFD study followed recognised industry standards, including LR's Guidance Notes on Wind Assisted Propulsion Systems, IACS Recommendation 173 and relevant ITTC procedures.
According to the study, a single suction sail delivers a maximum thrust of 260kN, rising to as much as 700kN when three sails are simulated operating together on a ship.
Suction sails, also known as rotor-adjacent boundary layer systems, are one of several wind-assisted propulsion concepts — alongside rotor sails, rigid wing sails and kites — being trialled by shipowners as shipping seeks to cut fuel consumption and emissions. Because fuel savings from such devices depend heavily on routing, wind conditions and vessel profile, independently verified performance data has become a key prerequisite for owners weighing retrofits.
LR noted that independent verification of this kind can help shipowners assess new energy-saving technologies and make investment decisions based on reliable performance data.
SunRui is a marine equipment supplier based in China. The verification at SMM 2026, one of the maritime industry's largest trade fairs, points to the next likely step for the technology: moving from simulated performance data toward sea trials and commercial installations.
Source: Ship & Bunker
