Innovative sailing giant will be able to transport 7,000 cars powered by wind
Currently, 90 percent of the world’s goods are transported by sea, and although sea freight can be made more environmentally friendly than air freight, cargo ships still run on fossil fuels. Today, emissions from the burning of cheap fossil fuels in shipping account for about 2 percent of all global CO2 emissions from the energy sector.
With the support of the Swedish Transport Authority, Wallenius Marine has teamed up with specialists from the marine consulting company SSPA and the Royal Institute of Technology to create a new environmentally friendly freighter. As part of the wPCC (wind Powered Car Carrier) project, shipbuilding engineers have developed the concept of a cargo sailing vessel that can easily deliver large volumes of cargo across the ocean. Revolutionary new technology for shipping will allow the power of the wind to propel even the largest ocean-going ships, reducing emissions to water and the atmosphere by 90 percent. The ship received the romantic name OceanBird – Seabird.
It will be a majestic cargo sailboat 200 meters long and 40 meters wide. It will be propelled by 5 sail-wings made of steel and composite materials, 80 meters high each, with electric remote control. Wallenius Marine predicts that OceanBird will be able to transport 7,000 vehicles across the Atlantic. The vessel will be equipped with an additional standby engine running on fuel obtained from environmentally friendly sources. The engine will be used for entry, maneuvering and exit from the harbor. According to the developers, at an average speed of 10 knots, Oceanbird will be able to cross the Atlantic Ocean in about 12 days, while modern ships make such a transition in 8 days.
The developers used LiDAR airborne laser scanning technology — similar to that used in unmanned vehicles — to scan the air streams above the vessel at an altitude of up to 300 meters above sea level. One of the important discoveries was that the design features of the hull can affect the speed and direction of the wind. The development team tested the model using simulation methods for various aerodynamic and hydrodynamic conditions.
This concept of a sailing ship is also applicable to other types of ships, such as cruise ships. “Our mission is to pave the way for sustainable shipping, and of course we want other shipbuilders to join us,” said Per Thunell, COO of Wallenius Marine. “This is not a competition, this is the direction in which all developers should move. Our project is open and transparent because we want to inspire others to test the limits of what is possible.”
However, all dreamers and romantics of sea freight will have to be patient. If they want to see the Seabird go on its maiden voyage, they will have to wait: the project will be completed before the end of 2021, and the finished ship will leave the shipyard no earlier than 2024.
“There’s hope in a lot of the responses to our project,” Tunell said. “At last there is a real solution that will help to make an important contribution to the fight against climate change. I think we are all hungry for good news in this area.”
M&M Ukraine (head office in Kiev, subdivision in Borispol and Odessa) successfully performs international sea freight transportation in all promising and demanded world directions. “M&M Ukraine” provides high-quality and safe cargo transportation from European countries to Ukraine, from Ukraine to Europe, to China and to the USA.
Created from www.oceanbirdwallenius.com, www.walleniusmarine.com, www.sciencealert.com and publicly available data.