# Back To The Future



## dom (Feb 10, 2006)

will technological advances,fuel costs and environmental concerns bring back commercial sailing for cargo ships?
shipping firm wallenius wilhelmsen has desinged a high-tech"back to the future"freighter powered solely by wind and waves in the expectation that increasing regulation and shipping costs over the next 20yrs will force the industry to comeup with greener vessels.


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## wigger (Sep 25, 2005)

I think I saw something about this in a Ships Monthly a few months ago. Were they planning to use a dirty great traction kite to pull the vessel. I remember seeing an artists impression of a freighter being pulled by a kite.


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## Jeff Egan (Jul 25, 2005)

Dom is it true they plan an HGV and Jumbo Jet version also? (*))


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## dom (Feb 10, 2006)

*dom*

could be a fred flintstone type (Thumb)


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## Pat McCardle (Jun 12, 2005)

****** said:


> I think I saw something about this in a Ships Monthly a few months ago. Were they planning to use a dirty great traction kite to pull the vessel. I remember seeing an artists impression of a freighter being pulled by a kite.



Sorry Shipmate but I think that was an April Fool's set up. The same picture featured in NUMAST Telegraph (*))


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## wigger (Sep 25, 2005)

I remember now! The company I read about was Beluga shipping GMBH. They are planning on using the SkySails system. Check out www.skysails.com. (*))


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## dom (Feb 10, 2006)

*dom*



****** said:


> I think I saw something about this in a Ships Monthly a few months ago. Were they planning to use a dirty great traction kite to pull the vessel. I remember seeing an artists impression of a freighter being pulled by a kite.


 hard to get ships monthly in brisbane,so i did'nt see the article,but who knows they could soon be calling for drum masters,left and right handed ores persons,being p.c.corect.
sometimes i sits and thinks and sometimes i just sits.dom (K)


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## wigger (Sep 25, 2005)

Seems a bit elaborate for joke,but could be wrong... plus it was before April, (it had already been reported in September 05). It just looks like a larger version of the 70's sailing boat "Jacobs Ladder". That was powered by a stack of 10ft Flexifoils, about 25 years ago.


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## dom (Feb 10, 2006)

*dom*

the article was dated june 1st world maritime news,dom


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## wigger (Sep 25, 2005)

I reckon we are talking about 2 different articles. Both sound like good ideas though. I'd love to see how Skysails Beluga project works out (assuming it is true (*)) ).


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## Gavin Gait (Aug 14, 2005)

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-12/17/content_7265817_1.htm
http://translate.google.com/transla...refox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&hs=yxx


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## JimC (Nov 8, 2007)

dom said:


> will technological advances,fuel costs and environmental concerns bring back commercial sailing for cargo ships?
> shipping firm wallenius wilhelmsen has desinged a high-tech"back to the future"freighter powered solely by wind and waves in the expectation that increasing regulation and shipping costs over the next 20yrs will force the industry to comeup with greener vessels.


In fact, the offshore Oil industry are way-ahead on that one. One of the Zapata 3 leg Letourneau jack-up barges which were fitted with three 360 azimuthing thrusters used assisting sail ower on a tow from the mexican Gulf to the North sea in the early 1980's. The sail was a gigantic sloop rig with the head attached to the top of one of the rear legs which had been elevated to a height of about 300 odd feet above sea level and the foot attached to the bow leg. It worked very well but was a bit of a hassle and in the end, the economics were unsustainable. There was also the problem of getting the optimum power from the sail v. draft and wind/water resistance. Actually; if I remember correctly; the usual towing speed of 4 knots was increased to nearly 7 knots when the wind was SW. so there was a fair amount of savings in transit time and consequently increased income from on-hire fees.
Just thought I'd share that with you all.

Jim C. (*was* actually accused of walking on water at one time!).


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## JimC (Nov 8, 2007)

*More tales of sails!*

To update: I was at - of all things - an Electricity Museum in Funchal, Madeira recently. They have a section on the use of wind power and in the exhibit is a picture of a cargo ship fitted with three enormous sails. Couldn't make out the name as the pic was not of the best quality. As an a side: I would thouroughly recommend a visit if in the area. Most unusual with lots of engineering items and equipment dating back to the 1890s.
Jim C.


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## JimC (Nov 8, 2007)

PS. it was a Japanese vessel.

Jim C.


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## cboots (Aug 16, 2004)

There have been various efforts of this type over the many fuel crisises that have hit the industry in recent decades. The point would be surely to reduce fuel consumption, not to propel the vessel by wind. Even a 10% reduction in bunker charges for an ocean going vessel would be well worth having I would have thought.
CBoots


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