Climate Change > Sail-Power on Modern Cargo Ships, will it work?

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Wind-powered cargo ship starts maiden voyage amid energy transition

By Daniel J. Graeber

The cargo vessel Pyxis Ocean was retrofitted with giant sails in an effort to cut emissions and save on fuel costs.

The ship started its maiden voyage on Monday. Image courtesy of Cargill

Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Shipping firm Cargill on Monday announced the maiden voyage of a new wind-powered cargo vessel that could support a 30% cut in fuel costs and help with decarbonization efforts in the maritime shipping industry.

Cargill teamed up with BAR Technologies, a naval engineering firm, and Mitsubishi to retrofit the cargo vessel Pyxis Ocean with sails dubbed WindWings.

"Produced by industrialization partner Yara Marine Technologies, they are expected to generate average fuel savings of up to 30% on newbuild vessels, which could be even higher if used in combination with alternative fuels," Cargill added.

The shipping industry accounts for about 2% of total global greenhouse gas emissions. The industry is already trying to build on protocols outlined by the International Maritime Organization that call for the use of low-sulphur fuels and other greener alternatives.

Funded in part by the European Union, the companies behind the project described WindWings as a "step-change" in the effort to decarbonize shipping.

"If international shipping is to achieve its ambition of reducing CO2 emissions, then innovation must come to the fore," said John Cooper, the CEO at Bar Technologies. "Wind is a near marginal cost-free fuel and the opportunity for reducing emissions, alongside significant efficiency gains in vessel operating costs, is substantial."

All 175 members of the U.N.-backed IMO in July agreed to reach net zero emissions by or close to 2050. Specifically, the countries agreed to strengthen the energy efficiency design requirements for ships, to reduce emissions per transport, and to increase the usage of zero emissions technologies.

The plan is expected to reduce the total amount of emissions from shipping by at least 20% by 2030, and at least 70% by 2040.

I will be surprised if the sails make a 30% difference. Anything less will leave the 2040 target that much further out of reach and make it questionable whether or not the experiment is worth the price.

Using the propellers to get up to 20 knots or more means the wind has to be considerably more than 20 knots in the same general direction in order to sustain any pressure on the sails. Methinks it takes a lot of wind pressure to affect a huge cargo ship.

I shiver when I hear that word "decarbonization"! It worries me that some scientists don't seem to realize that nothing will grow without carbon dioxide.

"The maritime industry is on a journey to decarbonize -- it's not an easy one, but it is an exciting one," said Jan Dieleman, the president of Cargill's Ocean transportation business.

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