Passengers shocked by the unusual experience aboard world's largest wind-powered cruise ship: 'It was amazing'

These days, talk about clean wind power usually centers on electricity-generating turbines, but we often forget about the golden age of shipping and their vast wind-harnessing sails. 

Sea Cloud Cruises out of Germany has had its eye on revitalizing ships with traditional rigging for years and has recently launched the world's largest passenger sailing vessel with manually raised sails, as the New York Times detailed. 

This particular vessel, called the Sea Cloud Spirit, is 452 feet long, carries 136 passengers, and can be propelled by wind using its 28 sails, three masts, and traditional rigging. One of its captains explained to the Times that it aims to use the sails any chance it gets and only falls back to backup diesel engines when necessary. 

It also uses low-sulfur fuels, which are better for the environment and reduce the harmful pollutants frequently associated with the shipping industry. 

In accordance with regulations laid out by the International Maritime Organization, the cap on sulfur content in fuel oil was reduced from 3.5% to 0.5% as of January 2020. Coastal sections that have been designated Emission Control Areas already have a much lower cap of 0.1%.

The Sea Cloud Spirit also aims to use ports with shore power capabilities so they can run on cleaner electric power when possible. 

Its retro clipper design and more intimate scale than ultra-massive cruise ships have already garnered praise from customers. 

"It was amazing to watch the work go into putting the sails up and down and to experience the wind power pulling the ship so fast without the engines," Malte Rahnenfuehrer, who was traveling with family, told the Times.

There's no word on whether Sea Cloud is looking toward electrifying its fleet as backup for when the winds aren't blowing, but that technology's already been tested successfully in container ships. That could work toward reducing the global shipping industry's 3% share in planet-warming air pollution. 

While the Sea Cloud's small fleet may be an outlier in the cruise industry, that sector has already had to do some hard thinking about the environment. The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) predicts that its industry will grow 12% by 2026, according to Reuters. 

To address the increase in harmful pollutants, the CLIA has already pledged to make zero-emission vessels and fuels widely available by 2030 and aims to hit net-zero carbon by 2050.

"We are reducing the carbon footprint of our ships while at berth and at sea, investing in advanced environmental technologies and partnering with cities and ports on sustainable destination management," the CLIA shared with Reuters. 

Sea Cloud aims to stand apart from the cruise industry at large, however. Mirell Reyes, president of the company, shared her view on the topic with the Times.

"Wherever the vessel goes," she said, the company tries to "stay away from the crowds and ports where big cruise ships spit out 6,000 passengers."

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