SkySails to power Cargill’s handysize vessel
Cargill has signed an agreement to install a SkySails 320 m2 kite on a handysize 25,000 – 30,000 dwt vessel, the largest vessel to date to deploy this system. Hamburg-based SkySails‘ patented wind power technology uses a kite that flies ahead of the vessel and generates enough propulsion to reduce consumption of bunker fuel by up to 35% in ideal sailing conditions. Cargill and SkySails aim to have the system fully operational in the first quarter of 2012. The SkySails kite will be connected to the ship by rope and is computer-controlled by an automatic pod to maximise the wind benefits. The kite functions at a height of between 100 to 420 metres and flies in a figure of eight formation. The SkySails system is automated and requires only minimal action by the crew. An automatic control system steers the kite and adjusts its flight path. All information related to the system’s operation is displayed on the monitor of the SkySails‘ workstation on the ship’s bridge. According to a United Nations (International Maritime Organisation) study, up to 100 million tonnes of CO2 could be saved every year by the broad application of the SkySails‘ technology on the world merchant fleet. Quelle: eyefortransport |