This cargo ship has adopted huge futuristic sails to pollute less

To reduce carbon emissions from cargo ships, the company Cargill decided to go back to basics and equipped a ship with sails. However, this is not a stretched canvas, but a much more high-tech version. The first ship has just completed a six-month test.

Cargo ships are very polluting, and in an attempt to reducebroadcasts, more and more solutions rely onwind power. While some have already had the idea of ​​reducing the consumption of these enormous vessels with kites , Cargill has simply decided to put sails back on the boats.

But be careful, not just any sails . These are WindWings developed byBARTechnologies, manufactured insteeland fiberglass, measuring 37.5 meters high. They are composed of a central element 10 meters wide, as well as two side elements 5 meters wide which rotate, and the entire WindWings can rotate. The firm installed two of these sails on the Pyxis Ocean, a Kamsarmax bulk carrier measuring 229 meters in length. The boat began a six-month test in August 2023, and Cargill has just shared the results.

A fuel saving of around 14%
According to the firm, the presence of sails made it possible to save on average 3 tonnes of fuel per day, equivalent to 11.2 tonnes of CO 2 including the entire production chain. That’s a saving of around 14%. Under optimal conditions, the vessel’s consumption can be reduced by 11 tonnes per day. These “sails” are particularly easy to use, since you just need to activate them when conditions permit. The WindWings then position themselves automatically for aspeedoptimal.

Although this first ship is equipped with two WindWings, future ships should have three, further reducing fuel consumption. Cargill will, however, have to ensure that the modified vessels can dock in all ports, but the firm says it has already contacted more than 250 ports to find solutions.