Video Transcript
A pair of longtime industrial giants have partnered with two startup counterparts to debut what officials described as a first-of-its-kind propulsion system for large cargo vessels.
Agribusiness company Cargill collaborated with BAR Technologies, Yara Marine Technologies, and Mitsubishi to debut “WindWings” — rectangular sails measuring more than 120 feet in height that can be affixed to cargo ships, replacing some propulsion that would ordinarily be powered by diesel fuel with wind power.
BAR, a British company formed after decades of involvement in global sailing competitions, partnered with Cargill to develop the sails with funding from a European Union initiative to decarbonize the shipping sector. They were manufactured by Norwegian company Yara Marine Technologies and installed on the Pyxis Ocean, a Mitsubishi-made cargo vessel chartered by Cargill that recently began its maiden voyage.
The project could help existing ships meet forthcoming emissions limits by retrofitting their vessels with WindWings. The global shipping industry accounts for roughly 3% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, and the International Maritime Organization reached an agreement earlier this summer that aims to gradually bring those emissions down to zero by 2050. Newly built ships, meanwhile, could see average fuel savings of 30% — and with alternative fuels, those savings could be even higher.
Project officials plan to monitor the Pyxis Ocean over the coming months in order to optimize the design and operation for future trips and production. BAR and Yara plan to build hundreds of sails over the next four years.
Organizers said the trip brings “cutting-edge” wind propulsion to modern commercial shipping for the first time. Historians believe that sails have been used by humans for at least 5,000 years.
