Cargo vessels could one day be powered by wind energy, company says
The shipping industry could soon see an increasing number of cargo vessels using wind as a propulsion system instead of traditional fossil fuel sources.
Marine shipping supports over 90 per cent of global trade and one quarter of all Canadian exports and imports, by value, are transported by marine shipping. Billions of tonnes of products are moved by ships that require enormous volumes of fossil fuels, which leaves damaging impacts on global marine ecosystems.
NEOLINE, a maritime transport company, has an ambitious vision of seeing wind energy revolutionize the shipping industry. Their ships will use wind as a main propulsion system and measures 136 metres in length with eight sails. On the stern there will be a large door where cargo can enter the vessel.
Credit: MAURIC
NEOLINE's objective is to get to zero emissions after ten years but for now there will still be an auxiliary engine on board, mainly used for harbour entrance and maneuvering.
"For the first vessels, we want to be able to reduce up to 90 percent of fuel consumption and carbon emission because we will reduce the speed going to 11 knots only, and also using sails as much as possible, so seventy per cent of the time the engine will be shut off," CEO Jean Zanuttini told the The Weather Network.
Credit: MAURIC
Companies have expressed interest in this form of transportation and Michelin has signed a commitment to transport pneumatic tires from Nova Scotia to France as soon as the first cargo sailboat is commissioned.
See the video above to learn about how these vessels use wind to travel the seas.
Thumbnail credit: NEOLINE
