The Unique Way Cargo Ships May Soon Cross The Ocean
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Kites to be used to Cut
Fuel Cost through Wind Energy
It may — at first glance, anyway — seem far-fetched,
but a French shipping company, a multinational aerospace corporation, and a French
technology company are about to begin testing the use of an enormous kite to help
tow a cargo ship across the Atlantic Ocean. Use of the kite is expected to significantly
reduce fuel consumption as well as greenhouse gas emissions.
The kite manufacturer, Airseas,
was founded by engineers who formerly worked for the aerospace firm Airbus. Vincent
Bernatets, chief executive officer and co-founder of Airseas, says the group began to channel its aviation expertise
to create a “cleaner and more sustainable” shipping industry 10 years ago.
“Today, I am beyond proud to see that vision becoming
reality, with our first Seawing [kite] ready to make a
tangible difference for our planet. This first installation marks a significant
milestone not only for Airseas but also for wind and other
renewable propulsion technologies in general,” Bernatets
said in a statement.
“Given the urgency of the climate crisis, the world needs to see a drastic reduction
in carbon emissions now. In shipping, we can achieve this by using the full set
of tools we have available to us today. Wind propulsion is one of these tools and
will play an essential role in helping shipping achieve its much-needed decarbonization transition.”
The first Seawing system has
already been installed on the cargo ship the Ville de Bordeaux. The ship, which
is more than 500 feet long, is operated by French shipping company Louis Dreyfus
Armateurs and is chartered by Airbus SE to make monthly
voyages transporting major aircraft components between France and the U.S.
The Seawing is an automatic
kite based on parafoil technology, so it resembles a large
parachute canopy. In addition to the 500-square-meter (or just over 5,380 square
feet) kite, the Seawing solution uses a mast, trolleys,
winches, and an enormous cable, along with what’s called the EcoRouting solution, which allows the ship to monitor and then
act on changing weather conditions to maximize fuel savings.
The solution uses an automated flight control system
so the entire operation is controlled from the ship’s deck.
You can learn more about how the Seawing operates here.
The sea trials and testing aboard the Ville de Bordeaux
are scheduled to last for 6 months. While that test involves a 500-square-meter
kite, that’s just the test size.
Airseas’
full-size Seawing is twice that size. The 1,000-square-meter
(10,763-square-feet) parafoil flies at a height of 300
meters (just under 1,000 feet) to further capture the wind and tow a ship. Based
on modeling and preliminary testing conducted on land, Airseas
estimates that the larger Seawing system will allow a
ship to reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emission by 20 percent on average.
It should also be noted that Airseas
has received formal approval from classification society Bureau Veritas to begin
operations at sea.
“This important
milestone follows 3 years of close and fruitful collaboration on the development
and early trials of the Seawing, supporting Airseas’ safety-first approach and validating the reliability
of the system,” Laurent Leblanc, senior vice president Technical & Operations
at Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore, said. “At BV, we are dedicated to help
the maritime sector navigate the challenges of the energy transition, and we fully
believe that wind propulsion technology represents a key opportunity to start decarbonizing
the maritime sector immediately.”
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