On January 22, 2008, the 10,000 ton cargo ship M.V. Beluga Skysails set out on a journey to Venezuela. Steaming out of the harbor it appeared to be just one of many merchant ships, however when it reached open sea something very unusual took place: a computerized arm on the vessels bow released a large kite, which rose high into the air and began to pull the ship through the water, in effect creating a hybrid cargo ship running on conventional fuel and wind power.
The age of sail had returned.
By March 13 the M.V. Beluga Skysails was in Norway having visited Venezuela, and the United States along the way and having traveled 12,000 miles. The experimental vessel's maiden voyage had been a success.
The conclusion:
Deployment of the 160—square-meter towing kite offset up to 20% of the engine’s power (and carbon emissions), saving an initial $1000 per day in fuel costs.
This is important given than CO2 emissions from shipping are greater than those from aviation.
According to an article in the WSJ:
While the great merchant clippers of the 19th century would have employed around 40 crewmen to unfurl and tend sails during a voyage, Stephan Wrage, chief executive of SkySails AG and designer of the system, said it requires no additional personnel and only a few days' training for existing crew.
Mr. Wrage added that because the SkySail flies between 100 and 300 meters above the surface, where winds are stronger and more stable, it is much more effective at capturing wind energy than a traditional sail. A single 800-square-meter SkySail could achieve the same propulsion as a traditional four-masted ship with 3,000 square meters of sail.
Mr. Wrage said these factors should enable the SkySail, which operates in tandem with the ship's engines, to produce around 50% of the thrust a ship needs. Even allowing for less-than-perfect wind conditions, annual fuel and emissions savings of between 10% and 35% should be achievable, he said.
Two days ago the Beluga Skysails set sail on its second voyage from Avilés, in the Spanish province of Asturias with a load (appropriately enough) of wind towers for the United States.
As an articlein Madrid's El País noted:
The Beluga Skysails, an experimental prototype built by the German shipping company, Beluga, weighs anchor today from the port of Avilés for Fairles [sic] Hills (USA) with a cargo of 2,200 tons of wind towers manufactured in the Asturian town. It is the first and for the moment only ship in this port that in addition to motorized power can be supplemented on the high seas by a large bow sail, like a kite, in order to take advantage of favorable winds. The combination allows it to save 20% on fuel consumption (between 1,000 and 1,300 euros a day when winds are optimal) and to reduce its emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2)at the same rate.
A spokesperson for Bergé, the company chartering the Beluga Skysails declared:
"Although the rent for this ship ends up costing us more than if we had chartered a conventional one, with current fuel prices we believe that it is a profitable bet in the long term if we consolidate our shipments. We still don't know how successful it can be but it appears very promising.
The shipbuilder, Beluga, has announced the construction of two new mixed propulsion vessels each of which will have a 620 square meter sail instead of the 360 on the prototype, which will permit greater energy efficiency and to take take better advantage of the power of the wind. Marine transport consumes 289 million tons of fuel annually.
While the criminal gas and oil dinosaurs continue their twin campaigns of Climaticide and lying about it, other businesses are choosing to embrace the opportunities that a sustainable economy will offer. I, for one, hope they make a bundle.