Sea trials under way for wind-powered sail in bid to cut shipping emissions
Sea trials have begun on a cargo ship testing out a new wind-powered sail in efforts to cut shipping carbon emissions by up to a third.
The 5,000-tonne cargo carrier the Pacific Grebe has been retrofitted with the 20-metre FastRig test sail and assessed in the Solent under controlled trials to test the ship’s performance in different conditions.
Dr Joseph Banks, from the university’s Marine and Maritime Institute, said: “Fitting 21st century autonomous sails to commercial ships could immediately reduce energy demands and fuel consumption, lower costs, and, importantly, cut CO2 emissions.
“This technology might be the key component of the challenging transition to zero-carbon shipping.”
Published: by Radio NewsHub