The world's first kite-powered cargo ship has set sail on its maiden transatlantic voyage, departing Bremerhaven in northern Germany on its way to Guanta, Venezuela, a journey of eighteen days. Well, the MS Beluga SkySails is partially kite-powered, using traditional diesel engines as its primary source motivation and a computer-controlled, 1,722-square-foot parachute to help things along. The company that created the kite, Hamburg, Germany-based SkySails, hopes that the system will reduce the ship's daily fuel consumption by as much as 35 percent, depending on wind conditions. The 34-year-old inventor behind SkySails, Stephan Wrage, notes that unlike traditional sails, the kite can pull a ship along regardless of the wind's direction, and it it won't interfere with loading and unloading of cargo. Wrage envisions SkySails attached not only to cargo vessels, but to superyachts, as well. "We aim to prove it pays to protect the environment," he notes. "Showing that ecology and economics are not contradictions motivates us all."
Sources: LiveNews Australia and Energy Daily.
Photos courtesy of SkySails.
