Airbus is considering turning to old fashioned wind power to reduce its fuel consumption in cargo ship logistics.
A 500-square-metre “SeaWing” para-sail connecting to the front of its three roll-on-roll-off (RORO) cargo ships would help the company save around 8000 tonnes of carbon dioxide and around NZ$1.8 million in fuel annually.
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is laying down rules for shipping operators in a bid to reduce oceanic pollution, aiming to improve energy efficiency by 30%, WSJ reports.
The developer of the SeaWing, a French company called AirSeas, says fuel burn can be reduced by 20%, and Airbus will test the novel device on its Ville de Bordeaux cargo ship in 2021.
The trial will see the ship set sail to take parts from Europe to Alabama where Airbus builds its single-aisle planes.
A larger 10,700-square-metre sail has been developed for even bigger ocean-bound ships.
Three Maersk Pelican long range commercial tankers have recently been installed with 30-metre-high”Rotor Sails”, which are mechanical sails that spin and propel the ship forward.
Rotor Sail developer Norsepower says the shipping industry is hungry for such fuel-saving and emission-slashing ideas.
“We have great ambitions for our technology and its role in decarbonising the shipping industry,” says chief executive Tuomas Riski.
“The installation of our largest ever Rotor Sails in partnership with these industry leading organisations shows that there is an appetite to apply new technologies,” he says.
Rotor Sails allows the ships’ main engines to be throttled back when wind conditions are good, saving fuel and cutting emissions.
According to AirSeas, a derivative of Airbus, 2.7% of the world’s CO2 emissions come from shipping.
AirSeas chief executive Vincent Bernatets says the automated kite, based on parafoil technology used in towing commercial ships, is a breakthrough in maritime transport.
“Airbus has confirmed its confidence in the SeaWing system after seeing our test results first-hand on their own ship,” he says in a statement.
“This first ro-ro vessel installation opens the way for further pioneering deals on container ships, bulkers and ferries. We are glad we can start helping our customers to reduce ship emissions in order to preserve the environment.”
