Shipping industry looks to wind power

If the world’s shipping
fleet was a country, it
would be the world’s
sixth leading emitter
of greenhouse gases,
according to Turners
Shipping Far East route
development manager,
Samson Nip.
“In an effort to reduce
those emissions, and also
to conserve expensive
fossil fuels, cargo ship
designers are now turning
to the oldest source of
power there is – the
wind,” says Nip.
“In the future we may
once again see cargo
ships sporting masts and
sails. And while there
will never be a return to
sailing ships, designers
are planning on using
the power of the wind
to supplement the ship’s
engine.”
Several prototypes are
being tested.
Wind-powered
technology however faces
a steep development curve
before the industry will
be ready to embrace it,
says Nip. While it is not
practical for large vessels
like container ships,
which sail faster than 15
knots and need their deck
space for cargo, it is well
suited for smaller, slowermoving
ships in the 3000-
to-10 000-tonne range.
Such ships account for
10 000 vessels, one-fifth
of the world’s total cargo
ships.