Source: AFP
A French ship sailing past New York City to take refuge laden with champagne, brandy and marmalade under sail may be reminiscent of a forgotten era of aeolian navigation.
But with Anemos, the world’s largest cargo sailing ship, a French company is seeking to revive the environmentally friendly and cost-effective technology to once again become a regular place on the high seas.
Interest in using sail technology to transport cargo has increased in recent years as fuel costs and environmental concerns have increased for both shipping companies and consumers.
Anemos completed its inaugural 18-day transatlantic voyage from the French port of Le Havre to the port of Newark on Tuesday, and Guillaume Le Grand, chief executive of operator TOWT, hopes it will be the first of many.
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“They are the biggest sailing ships around and we are starting to make an impact,” he said of the ship and its sister ship, the Artemis, due to launch in Vietnam on Wednesday.
“We’ve been full on this passage and there’s a lot of demand. Six more (vessels) have already been ordered,” Le Grand added, explaining that customers increasingly want to know the carbon intensity of their shipment.
Anemos, which is 81 meters long, carried 1,000 tons of cargo.
The Wind’s maiden voyage was not without its difficulties, with the spare engine used and improvements to be made to the ship’s rigging and giant double sails.
“This was a bit but challenging, we had to manage the course. We are improving the coordination of the sails,” captain of the nine-man crew, Hadrien Bousson, told AFP.
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The vessel uses a computerized, robotic rigging system to adjust the massive sails that make the ship 206 feet tall.
With around one billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emitted each year, shipping is responsible for almost 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which aims to achieve carbon neutrality in the sector by 2050.
Wind is already used by about forty large cargo ships worldwide, according to the International Windship Association.
But that’s a drop in the ocean compared to the 105,000 ships worldwide that weigh more than 100 tons.
Several other shipping companies use wind-powered ships, including Zephyr & Boree, Windcoop and Neoline.
Source: AFP
