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Kite Powered Cargo Ship
Mar 17, 2008
Positive News Issue 55 |
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A giant kite-like sail billowed out in front of the MS Beluga SkySails, as she set out on her maiden voyage from Germany to Venezuela. Following routes tradition-ally used by sailing ships, the kite-sail cuts fuel costs for the cargo ship by roughly 1,500 Dollars a day.
The sail floats between 350 to 1,000 feet in the air, tapping into stronger and more stable winds than those found at sea level. Throughout the pilot voyage, which took the Beluga from Bremen to South and North America, then back to Germany via Norway, engineers on-board studied the SkySails System. The results will soon be published.
The technology can be retrofitted onto nearly all types of cargo ships, making huge savings in fuel, while also cutting carbon emissions by up to 35 per cent.
In the past, inventor Stephan Wrage, has been labelled an ‘eco-freak’ but now his time has come and his company is receiving inquiries from all around the world. “Of course, I’m happy about this development,” he said. “Who wouldn’t be? The broad approval for SkySails that we are experiencing right now helps us in spreading our idea.”
Contact: SkySails GmbH & Co. KG,
Veritaskai 3, 21079 Hamburg, Germany
Tel: +49 (0)40 702 990
Website: www.skysails.info
Maiden flight of the SkySails on the MS Beluga SkySails. Photo: © SkySails
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