GERMAN SHIP SAILS A GIANT KITE

GERMANY LOOKS AHEAD TO THE AGE OF SAIL

The world's first commercial ship powered in part by a giant kite is concluding its maiden voyage across the Atlantic. The 10,000-tonne MS Beluga SkySails left Germany on Jan. 22 for Venezuela, but its computer-guided kite system was fully deployed only after it reached favorable trade winds near the Azores. The ship is scheduled to arrive in Venezuela today.

The SkySails towing kite system bears little resemblance to canvas sails on conventional sailing ships. Instead of support from a mast, boom and rope, the SkySails is tied to the bow by a single line. The 160-square meter kite, which flies up to 300 meters above the water, carves figure-eight patterns in the air, reaching speeds four times higher than the prevailing wind, which dramatically increases its pulling power.

SkySails estimates that by using the towing kite system, a ship’s average annual fuel costs can be reduced by 10 to 35%, depending on the prevailing wind conditions. Under optimal wind conditions, fuel consumption can be cut by up to 50%. On its first trans-Atlantic voyage, the MS Beluga has recorded a 10 to 15% reduction in oil consumption, which amounts to a savings of about $1,000 to $1,500 a day.

The MS Beluga's journey comes more than a century after the world's commercial sailing fleet was replaced by coal-burning steamships. SkySails hopes for a similar revolution, and believes the kites could be used aboard 60 per cent of the world's commercial fleet. The world's 90,000 merchant ships emit 800 million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year – about 5 per cent of the world's total.

Shoutout to the crew of the MS Beluga for making history, and to SkySails for looking into the future by looking back at the past. Godspeed, Beluga! And go fly a kite!

Sources, resources and discourses:

1. The Globe and Mail – article
2. Telegraph – article
3. SkySails - website