mega engineering, skysails, environment, oceans, pollution, sailing

Gigantic Cargo Sailboats to Replace Oil-Guzzling Cargo Fleets

There may be a very simple solution to the oil-guzzling problem on cargo ships that haul huge loads across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Wind power. A German company called SkySails believes that by attaching what are essentially giant parasails to cargo ships, they can reduce their use of oil by up to 35 percent.

The SkySails propulsion system can attach to pretty much any large ship, is computer controlled and deploys and retracts automatically. The company recently completed a major test, criss-crossing the Atlantic in a cargo ship called the MS Beluga using one of their "towing kites." The result: a 20 percent fuel savings. The system is shown in a computer rendering above, and can be seen in actual operation on their test vessel, the MS Beaufort:

An optional computerized system would allow ships to travel along a route optimized for wind power, and the SkySail is safer and more efficient than traditional masted sails, the company claims. Ships equipped with SkySails could put a big dent in the oil consumption and pollution created by the ever-growing container cargo industry. Photos by: SkySails.

MV "Beluga SkySails" successfully completes maiden voyage. [SkySails]

8:00 AM on Mon Apr 7 2008
By Ed Grabianowski
1,676 views
20 comments

Comments

femto at 08:29 AM on 04/07/08
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The ship of the future resembles the ancient galley: oars/motors, supplemented by a crude sail.
braak at 08:29 AM on 04/07/08
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That's a pretty good idea.
Seth L at 08:32 AM on 04/07/08
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Nifty, though I thought it was carrying missles for a asecond.
Ed Grabianowski at 08:36 AM on 04/07/08
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I think maybe the cargo in the rendering is the parts for a windmill?
EBone at 08:39 AM on 04/07/08
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How cute. It's carrying wind turbine components...
Illuminatus at 08:48 AM on 04/07/08
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This is one of the best examples of realistic green tech I've seen in a long time. Instead of creating a whole new engine system, these guys are just making the old system more efficient.

Can you imagine what sort of impact a 35% reduction in oversees shipping costs would have on the economy? Of course, the government would come along and "protect" American businesses by jacking up the tariffs, but at least the ships would be burning less fuel.
92BuickLeSabre at 08:48 AM on 04/07/08
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I look forward to the part when the boat slows, the wind calms, and everyone on deck gets trapped in the giant parasail.

*sniffs a Will Farrell vehicle titled Beluga in the wind*
braak at 08:59 AM on 04/07/08
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@92BuickLeSabre: Impossible--it's computer controlled! Computer controlled. That means there's no possible way for it to go horribly wrong.
Cin at 09:11 AM on 04/07/08
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Everything old is new again...
92BuickLeSabre at 09:12 AM on 04/07/08
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@braak: Oh good! I guess that means the captain can be comfortably over-confident, drinking scotch, singing 70's songs karaoke style, and generally galavanting around in humorously dated outfits and making ridiculous speeches in overly-serious tones after all!
Wesman at 09:21 AM on 04/07/08
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I'm looking forward to this being added on a Carnival cruise ship. Imagine zipping yourself up the line for parasailing. That's much more fun than another trip to the buffet.

Question: What would happen if two ships got their sails tangled? (Answer: A made-for-TV disaster movie.)
braak at 09:35 AM on 04/07/08
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@92BuickLeSabre: I believe that, under the circumstances, it is required.
Rhainor at 10:12 AM on 04/07/08
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Reminds me of the movie "Waterworld". Kevin Costner's boat, while being entirely a wind-powered vessel anyway, had one of these on the front for that extra little boost.
Klebert L. Hall at 10:40 AM on 04/07/08
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I expect that we'll see (eventually) a resurgence of ships actually designed for wind-power, with auxiliary diesels. Those would work even better, for some applications.

-Kle.
corpore-metal at 10:43 AM on 04/07/08
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I don't know if I'd classify this story as mega-engineering. I'd classify it as green and computerized tweaks to established technology.

The tanker being pulled by this aerial spinnaker(?) is not as big as some of the biggest container ships that are now plying the seas. Those things are monsters! I wonder how big the sails would have to be to pull Samsung Heavy Industries 336.7 meter long Xin Los Angeles!
braak at 11:25 AM on 04/07/08
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@corpore-metal: Maybe it will just have two hundred of them!

I find hybrid stuff like this interesting. There was an article in Popular Mechanics a while ago about a guy who'd built a car that ran partially on water. After the cylinders were fired, the engine would squirt a jet of water into the chamber, which would instantly evaporate and get another stroke out. It improved the efficiency of the engine by 30%.
darcymcgee at 12:27 PM on 04/07/08
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@Ed Grabianowski: The Sabres? I mean seriously...the SABRES?

Anyway...

I'd rather see us using solar sails through space, but I suppose this is more immediately practial.
Git Em SteveDave seeks... at 12:29 PM on 04/07/08
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I thought GI Joe did this to their aircraft carrier so they could escape the Island of No Return. Am I wrong?
Git Em SteveDave seeks... at 12:31 PM on 04/07/08
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@darcymcgee: Why is it whenever I think of large things in space, the scene in Futurama where the space mirror gets hit by a small meteor and becomes a giant sun magnifying death beam, comes to mind.
Klebert L. Hall at 10:10 AM on 04/08/08
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@Git Em SteveDave:

I dunno.

The USS Intrepid (an Essex-class CV) rigged a sail in WW2 to bet underway after (IIRC) a Kamikaze hit, though.
-Kle.