As wonderful and exciting as using eco-friendly renewable resources are, there still remains a large, un-friendly problem: shipping. Just about everything makes its way across the big blue during some part of its life, and it’s almost always on a CO2 spewing ship. Isn’t there a better way?
On January 22, 2008, the Beluga Group in Bremen, Germany launched the MV “Beluga SkySails” on its maiden voyage from “Columbuskaje” in Bremerhaven to Guanta in Venezuela loaded with components for a chipboard plant. It was the first ship to launch SkySails innovative towing kite system for commercial use.
SkySails has developed a wind propulsion system that can lower fuel costs by 10-35%, which is crucial in our oil starved economy. The system is comprised of three simple main components: a towing kite with rope (think paraglider style), a launch and recovery system, and an automatic control system. It launches itself, steers itself and even calculates the best route to take based on weather forecasting data and the captain’s priorities. Then when the voyage is done, it pulls itself back in until the next time you’re ready for it. Virtually any cargo ship can be retrofitted with one and it requires no additional crew and only a few days of training for existing crew.
Oil prices keep rising, our oceans are becoming ever more polluted, and carbon emissions are destroying the ozone. Thanks to SkySails, ships can once again make a greener (or bluer, rather) journey with pride by hoisting their sails. It’s almost enough to make you want to say “Argh.”
