There's a hot new technological trend among oceanic cargo ship operations that just may change the entire industry. The Grain de Sail II, a French cargo sailing vessel, is the latest example of looking to transportation's past to move into the future.
It's ironic, really. Wind energy was supplanted by coal, before diesel-powered ships became the standard. But as the international merchant fleet looks to reduce the carbon emissions produced by thousands of cargo ships crossing the oceans every day, wind power begins to look more appealing.
Already some cargo ships around the world, like the Grain de Sail II, are rediscovering how to harness the wind.
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Built by the French-based Piriou shipyards in Brittany, France, and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, the Grain de Sail II is a 170-foot-long schooner that can carry 350 tons of cargo in its holds, according to Tech Xplore. At sea, the ship is powered purely by the wind. While it does have a diesel engine to maneuver the ship into and out of ports, it's a glimpse at a much cleaner cargo shipping future.
Cargo ships move about 90% of the world's goods, according to NPR, and belch out about 3% of the world's annual carbon pollution. That pollution is expected to grow by 50% before the year 2050, per the International Council on Clean Transportation. The potential for rising fuel costs, and international governing bodies like the U.N. and the European Union moving to disincentivize carbon-powered shipping in the near future, makes wind power an exciting, clean option.
Much larger ships than the Grain de Sail II are also experimenting with using wind power to move goods. Some ships, like the 751-foot Pyxis Ocean, a bulk carrier operated by Cargill, use massive, rigid fiberglass sails to produce lift and forward momentum.
Other ships, like the 1,115-foot-long Sea Zhoushan, use rotor sails to ease the strain on their engines. Rotor sails are tall tubes that spin with the wind and rely on the Magnus Effect to produce forward momentum.
Yann Jourdan, who once crewed on standard, diesel-powered ships, is the captain of the Grain de Sail II. He's committed to helping further shipping's push into cleaner, greener fuel sources, like the wind. With its elegant sails and cutting-edge design, Jourdan's ship is the obvious answer to the problem of a transportation industry that right now relies on diesel-burning cargo ships.
"It's our job to prove that it's possible," Jourdan said of Grain de Sail II's mission, according to Tech Xplore. "For me, it's just logical, you know? Like the petrol is limited quantity and the wind is not."
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