Up to 90% of global shipping takes place out on the open seas.
Ships criss-cross the oceans with everything from grain to sneakers. With that kind of global demand for goods comes the need for a lot of fuel, and therefore, a lot of carbon emissions.
But now, something new – that is actually quite old – is in the works among the world’s largest ship builders.
Sails.
Now, these sails aren’t the billowing white sheets on pirate ships of yore you might be thinking of. These modern “wind wings,” as some are called, harness natural, free, and carbonless wind power and use it to help propel huge vessels forward along their trade routes.
Generally, the ships’ engines will stay on at minimum power, but still save huge amounts of carbon from being produced. Some shipmakers are also transitioning to less dirty fuels like green methanol and green ammonia to lower carbon footprints even further, and ideally, save on operating costs over the long term.
But, in the future, ships will likely be able to shut their engines off altogether – at least for a time – and operate with no fossil fuel propulsion whatsoever.
Maiden voyage using WindWings sails, made possible by a partnership between Cargill, Bar Technologies, Yara Marine Technologies, and Mitsubishi Corporation.Photo courtesy of: Cargill
The ocean shipping industry accounts for about 3% of carbon emissions around the world, and if new technologies like these aren’t developed and utilized, that number is expected to grow and produce millions of pounds of carbon.
The maritime shipping industry has already agreed to reduce emissions to net zero by the year 2050, so these test runs and design experiments are crucial to getting it right and staying on track to meet that goal.
But the shipping industry as a whole is complex, with many layers of involvement by governments, private companies, auxiliary businesses, and partnerships. Still, it appears that the big players in commercial maritime shipping see wind assisted vessels as the future of their industry.
We’re excited to see how this develops.
Steady on,
Rob
