World’s first wind-powered cargo ship sets sail with revolutionary metal ‘wings’

The WindWings are expected to save several tonnes of fuel

The Mitsubishi-owned Pyxis Ocean left Singapore last week en route to the port of Paranagua in Brazil.

It has been fitted with huge 37.5 metre tall metal 'wings' and which were designed by a team of British Olympic sailors.

Built by Yara Marine Tech, the WindWings are expected to save up to 30 percent of shipping fuels on average.

The team behind the wings estimate that each one saves one and a half tonnes of fuel a day, which works out as 4.65 tonnes lower CO2 emissions per wing per day.

Whilst the sails have been designed to work alongside the cargo ship's engine, it is expected that the vessel will be able to reach more than five and a half knots on wind power alone.

The maiden voyage is being used as a test to find out if the ship can make the entire journey with the wings. If successful, it could pave the way for many more cargo ships to be fitted with them.

“I’m super excited about this,” said Jan Dieleman, president of Cargill’s Ocean transportation business. “We’re finally at the point where this ship is going to be on the water.

“We need to find out if everything is going to function. Is it safe? Is it going to work? Are the wings able to move as they should, can they fold?

“Does this actually work in port and then are we actually getting the fuel savings?

“It’s a huge project. This has never been done before. But you have to be willing to take some risks otherwise everything continues to be a theoretical exercise, so it’s time to showcase what is possible.”

He added: “Although we’re trying it on a conventional one, the endgame is, of course, to somehow combine it with either low-carbon fuels, zero-carbon fuels and all kinds of other technologies.

“It is a tool in the toolbox, but it’s not the silver bullet. I think it’s a little bit different here because if you would do that, you would say I’m going to use the fuel differently, I’m going to just speed up, which is something that doesn’t really happen.

“I think these are real fuel savings and real carbon savings. They’re important today, but they’re even more important tomorrow with the new fuels.”

John Cooper, chief executive of BAR, added: “If international shipping is to achieve its ambition of reducing CO2 emissions, then innovation must come to the fore.

“Wind is a near-marginal, cost-free fuel and the opportunity for reducing emissions, alongside significant efficiency gains in vessel-operating costs, is substantial.”

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