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New Energy World
New Energy World embraces the whole energy industry as it connects and converges to address the decarbonisation challenge. It covers progress being made across the industry, from the dynamics under way to reduce emissions in oil and gas, through improvements to the efficiency of energy conversion and use, to cutting-edge initiatives in renewable and low carbon technologies.
Shipping looks to the past for a cleaner future
9/11/2022
6 min read
Wind power as a renewable alternative to fossil fuels is not limited to offshore and onshore turbines. Nearly 250 years after the world’s first steamship, the global shipping industry is once again seeking to harness the power of the wind, reports Selwyn Parker.
Almost overnight, the ocean’s biggest ships have started tapping the long-neglected virtues of sail power in a quest to slash costs and emissions. In a flurry of activity during the last year or so, operators of the behemoths of the sea such as bulk carriers, car carriers and tankers have started harnessing the wind or are conducting trials.
Depending on the size of the vessel – and some tip the scales at over 300,000 deadweight tonnes (dwt), the expected savings range from anything between 4% and 50% in fuel consumption and emissions.
As things stand, it is highly likely that 2023 will go down as a formative year for giant wind-powered vessels as they follow in the wake of coastal traders, ferries and other smaller ships that have been using sails for the last three or four years.