This is a bit off topic, but I can’t help but mention a newsworthy event. I read on the Lingua Franca blog that today The Beluga Group signed a contract to furnish a diesel freighter with sail power. The sails, by SkySails, a German company founded in 2001, are not like the sails of old. A 160 meter kite-like sail helped to propel the MV Beluga SkySails across the seas last month, and as a result 20% less fuel was consumed. The savings during the 2-month voyage added up to 2.5 tons of fuel, or $1000 a day. The goal is to save twice that much as the technology is improved.
There’s something majestic about seeing even the modern-looking kite-sail on the open sea:
SkySails expects that ships fitted with the special sails will be able to reduce their fuel consumption on average from 10-35%, and for short periods as much as 50% depending on the actual wind conditions and the time deployed.
