Arriving From France

Ville de Bordeaux, a Ro-ro cargo ship measuring 505 feet by 78 feet and sailing under the flag of France, heads into port at Mobile the afternoon of NOV 2nd 2025 after two weeks at sea. With a draught of 19 feet, the ship finishes a voyage that began OCT 19th from Montoir, on the coast of France.

The ship is one of two vessels used to transport sections of new airplanes to Mobile, where they are assembled into commercial Airbus jetliners. Clearly visible aboard Ville de Bordeaux are the ship’s three 72 foot eSAILs which use electric air suction to optimize airflow, generating more lift than conventional sails. Spain-based bound4blue, the company which developed the eSAILS, says–if averaged across twelve months following installation–the ship is seeing a fuel savings of 1.7 metric tons per day. Ville de Bordeaux represents bound4blue’s first installation of eSAILS aboard a Ro-ro ship. Bound4blue says the typical payback period for its new sails is less than five years.

Photo shot from Orange St pier in Fairhope, roughly 6.5 miles away…