Yann Jourdan, a former captain of fuel-powered cargo ships, now captains a sailboat that uses wind energy. He believes that his current job, while less lucrative, is more sustainable and fulfilling, according to AP News.
Sail Powered
The international merchant fleet of more than 100,000 ships transports more than 80% of global trade. But it’s also responsible for about 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Without a quick switch from dirty fuels to cleaner energies, its pollution is forecast to soar.
Mariners pushing for wind power say investors used to view them as something of a joke. But as they pioneer a comeback for sail-powered cargo ships, they’re having the last laugh. “It’s our job to prove that it’s possible,” Jourdan said aboard the new Grain de Sail II cargo carrier as it sailed off the French port of Saint-Malo one recent autumn day.
Supercharging sailboats
The cleanest of the new vessels spearheading wind’s embryonic revival are almost pure-sail vessels like Grain de Sail II. Half the length of a soccer field and able to carry 350 tons of goods in its holds, it uses its diesel engine only to maneuver in and out of port.
“We want to not only reduce the carbon footprint, we want to kill it,” said Jacques Barreau, co-founder of the Grain de Sail firm with his twin brother, Olivier. They used profits from their chocolate-making and coffee-roasting business in western France to finance their first sail-powered cargo ship, Grain de Sail I.
With its aluminum hull, two giant carbon-fiber masts, mechanized systems for hauling and adjusting the billowing sails, and its bridge bristling with high-tech navigation gear, Grain de Sail II is a supercharged modern successor to sailing clippers of yore.
Wind power for giant carriers
Wind-assisted systems to save fuel are also being fitted to engine-powered cargo ships, all the way up to the massive 340-meter (1,115-foot) Sea Zhoushan.
It transports iron ore and was built in China with five large spinning rotors on its deck that harness wind energy. When the ship entered service in 2021, Brazilian mining giant Vale said it expects fuel savings of up to 8% on its 40-day voyages between Brazil and China.
Finland’s Norsepower, the rotor manufacturer, says it has installed them on 16 ships since fitting its first in 2014 and has installations for 13 more vessels on order.
Although wind-assisted vessels are just a tiny fraction of the global fleet, their numbers are growing at unprecedented rates, says Clarksons Research, which tracks shipping data. By its count, 165 cargo ships are already using wind to some degree or are due to have wind-assisted systems installed.
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Source: AP News
