The Week in Alt Fuels: Back to the future
Shipping is turning back to one of the oldest tricks in the book as modern sails find their way onto tankers, container ships and LNG carriers. The past couple of months have seen a streak of developments around wind-assisted propulsion, spanning installations, orders, vessel launches, technology approvals and new trials. These are not just small-scale ...
Wind-assisted propulsion is making a comeback in modern shipping, with major companies installing the technology on various types of vessels. This ancient method of using wind to propel ships is now being applied to container ships, tankers, and LNG carriers. A total of 99 vessels are currently equipped with wind-assisted propulsion, with bulker ships making up the majority of the fleet.
While wind-assisted propulsion is not a substitute for low- and zero-emission fuels, it can help ships burn less fuel and is versatile enough to work alongside different types of fuel. The technology is gaining wider acceptance as shipping companies seek to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions.
Written by urgent.news from Hellenic Shipping News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.