Cargo ship using new wind propulsion technology sets sail

Mitsubishi Corporation’s Pyxis Ocean cargo vessel has set sail on its maiden voyage powered by WindWings – a “ground-breaking” wind propulsion system.

Chartered by Cargill, the Pyxis Ocean has been retrofitted with two 37.5m-tall sails that harness wind power to fuel the vessel. The wings were developed by BAR Technologies and Yara Marine Technologies, with plans already in place to “build hundreds of wings over the next four years”.

Partly funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 initiative, the WindWinds project has seen the development of technology that is expected to “generate average fuel savings of up to 30% on new-build vessels, which could be even higher if used in combination with alternative fuels”.

John Cooper, Chief Executive of BAR Technologies, explained that each of the vessel’s WindWings is saving one and a half tonnes of fuel per day, equating to a daily saving of 4.65 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per wing.

He added: “If international shipping is to achieve its ambition of reducing CO₂ emissions, then innovation must come to the fore.

“Wind is a near marginal cost-free fuel and the opportunity for reducing emissions, alongside significant efficiency gains in vessel operating costs, is substantial.”

Source: logisticsmanager.com