From wind-powered cargo ships to “question[ing] fundamental paradigms in naval architecture,” says Alex Caizergues, co-founder & CEO of Syroco, there are literal tons worth of changes on the horizon for maritime transport.
According to WorldBank, maritime transport accounted for between 3.5% to 4% of global carbon emissions in 2022. This means that, compared to countries like Japan and Germany, the shipping industry would rank as the 6th largest producer of carbon emissions in the world. Fortunately, a Swedish Company called Wallenius Marine has a solution: a 200-meter-long (~645ft) cargo ship called the “OceanBird” that will be powered by wind (Wallenius Marine, 2022). With vertical, airplane-like wings stretching 105 meters (~344ft) above water, the OceanBird aims to reduce 90% of carbon emissions compared to standard, fuel-powered ships.
Although the ship primarily relies on wind power, there is a backup engine that will only run when the ship is off course, or if there is no wind. As a result, it will take the OceanBird 12 days to cross the Atlantic compared to eight days on a normal cargo ship. The OceanBird is also more expensive to build than a normal cargo ship, but less expensive to operate. Wallenius Marine engineers argue that these time and price differences are only a small price to pay for a 90% more sustainable alternative to fuel-powered cargo ships.
Separately, French engineers at Syroco are working on a 100% eco-friendly change to the common sailboat. Syroco, a company specializing in a software program that digitally models ships, is looking to shatter current records for the fastest sailboat in the world. With little resemblance to an actual sailboat, Syroco’s boat, simply titled “Syroco,” aims to reach speeds of 150 km/hr (~93.2 mph, or ~291.6 nautical miles, or knots).
This “multi-body” craft would consist of a wing, nacelle (referring to the body/hull of the ship), hydrofoil, and connecting lines (string). Most commonly used in surfing, a hydrofoil is a lifting surface that reduces drag, increasing the boat or surfboard’s speed. Syroco’s approach to building the sailboat will require that the hydrofoil act as an anchor for the boat and lift it out of the water, which is very uncommon. On the other hand, the kite will act as a large scoop that collects wind to propel the craft forward and pull it out of the water.
Kiteboarding, also known as kite-surfing, provides the best examples of a hydrofoil and a kite used together. This fairly popular sport involves riding on a modified surfboard while holding onto a kite that uses energy from the wind to propel the rider forward. (This can be done on snow, too!)
With these exciting developments in progress, who knows how efficient, energy-saving, and fast the future of maritime transport will be?
Citations:
Shattering the World Sailing Speed Record (2023) Syroco. Syroco. Available at: https://syro.co/en/speed-record/ (Accessed: April 24, 2023).
Doyle, A. (2020) The oceanbird: Swedish firm develops largest wind-driven cargo shop, World Economic Forum. World Economic Forum. Available at: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/12/swedish-firm-wind-powered-cargo-ships (Accessed: April 24, 2023).
Infrastructure podcast: Decarbonized shipping (2022) World Bank. The World Bank Group. Available at:https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/podcast/2022/03/16/decarbonized-shipping-reducing-the-dependence-on-fossil-fuels (Accessed: April 24, 2023).
Towards truly sustainable shipping (2022) Wallenius Marine. Available at: https://www.walleniusmarine.com/ (Accessed: April 24, 2023).
