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Sci Tech
Giant sail technology could make shipping greener
JOHN VIDAL
One of the first large cargo ships in 100 years to cross the Atlantic with the help of wind will set off from European shores soon on a voyage which is due to make maritime history. When the 10,000-tonne Beluga Skysail is well clear of land, it will launch a giant kite, which wind tunnel tests and sea trials suggest will tug it along and save 10-15 per cent of the heavy fuel oil it would normally burn.
Giant sized kites
If the journey from Bremen in Germany to Venezuela and back proves successful, it could become common to see some of the largest ships in the world towed by kites the size of football fields.
“This is a serious attempt to reduce bunker [fuel] costs and polluting emissions. The kite will be used whenever it is possible on the voyage, and we are convinced it will revolutionise cargo shipping. We would consider fitting them to all our ships,” said Christine Bornkessel, a spokeswoman for the Bremen-based Beluga shipping line, which has 52 merchant vessels.
Saving fuel cost
The ship’s maiden voyage will use a 160 sq metre kite which is expected to cut fuel consumption by 10-15 per cent, but in time it will be fitted with much larger kites, possibly saving 30-35 per cent on fuel, she said.
The largest kites could be as big as 5,000 sq metres and theoretically be capable of assisting giant container ships.
The world shipping industry is expanding rapidly. But the cost of shipping or ‘bunker’ fuel has nearly doubled in the past two years, forcing the industry to consider alternatives.
At the same time, concerns have grown about climate change and air pollution from shipping. It is estimated that commercial shipping, which traditionally uses the most polluting fuel, uses nearly 2 billion barrels of oil a year and emits as much as 800 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide or 4 per cent of the world’s man-made emissions.
Shipping also pollutes the atmosphere with more sulphur dioxide than all the world’s cars and lorries.
Storage space
Sails or spinnakers have been proposed for merchant ships, but these can take up storage space and cause vessels to keel.
The kite system, which has been developed over 10 years with help from the German government, uses an automatic pilot, is controlled by computers and runs on a metal track around the ship. — Guardian Newspapers Limited 2008
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