Watch: Airseas’ Cargo Ship Sails With A Giant Kite To Reduce Emissions

A company tested how a giant kite can be utilized to tow vessels across the ocean and reduce the diesel fuel they operate on by applying a traditional solution to a contemporary issue.

It is tempting to refer to both the product and the activity as sails. However, the term kite understates the immense technological sophistication of the AirSeas’ Seawing.

This huge “parafoil” retrofitted to the front of container vessels can help generate 20% of that vessel’s propulsion. The Ville de Bordeaux, a France-based container vessel, as part of recent trials, transported aircraft parts to France from the US.

Source: Airseas/YouTube 

AirSeas reportedly produces Seawing models that measure about 2,700 square feet and 5,400 square feet.

The firm has been striving to develop a 10,800-square-foot version that will be housed in the ship’s consoles.

The firm is ecstatic to inform you that Ville de Bordeaux lowered consumption of a polluting diesel blend referred to as “bunker fuel” by about 20% during the journey.

It is one of the most unique and advanced sails. It is also designed to be 100% automatic. A series of tethers deploy the parafoil from the command console into a powerful breeze at one button push.

Once the deployment is done, the ropes are programmed to collect data on pitch, yaw, and wind direction to adjust the parafoil’s position constantly to capture the maximum wind energy.

When the kite is not needed, or the wind dies down, it slowly returns to its command console evenly.

Based on how one defines merchant shipping, approximately 50,000 to 100,000 merchant vessels are reportedly used for transporting goods and materials worldwide, so the potential for such an expansion is also substantial.

AirSeas has several potential buyers. K Line might outfit about 50 vessels with Seawings in a few years.

References: Ground News, Good News Network