New Green Shipping Project in Development

A new project designed to use wind propulsion for commercial shipping applications will bring technological developments of world-class racing yachts to a new generation of vessels. The project, currently in the design phase, is a collaboration between the companies Cargill, BAR technologies and Deltamarin.

Cargill is a world leader in the food industry and charters fleets of over 600 vessels at any one time. The company, which is active with a number of green initiatives (such as Global Maritime Forum's 'Getting to Zero' coalition and the Sea Cargo Charter), believes it can play a 'leading role' to accelerate the crucial process of decar­bo­nisa­tion.

Naval architect Deltamarin has introduced a number of new technologies to commercial shipping and carries out research and development into how the greenhouse gas emissions of ships can be reduced. Wind-assisted propulsion is the latest technology that Deltamarin has been studying.

BAR Technologies was formed in 2016 as an offshoot of Ben Ainslie Racing, the British team created by the world champion Olympic sailor of the same name. The organisation focuses on developing the commercial shipping industry by using the intellectual property, technical expertise and design knowledge originally developed for yacht racing.

The new project will utilise WindWings, a technology created by BAR Technologies. WindWings comprises huge, solid wing sails measuring over 45 metres in height; these will be fitted to the decks of bulk cargo vessels to harness wind power, reducing CO2 emissions by up to 30%. The first product tankers equipped with WindWings technology should be introduced in 2022, with dry bulk vessels following soon thereafter.

John Cooper, the CEO at BAR Technologies, said: "Wind is a near marginal cost-free fuel and the opportunity for reducing emissions, alongside significant efficiency gains in vessel operating costs, is substantial. We've invested in our unique wind sail technology to provide vessel owners and operators with an opportunity to realize these efficiencies."

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