Slow ships set sail, aim to save fuel

Oil at more than $90 a barrel is concentrating minds in the shipping industry.

Higher fuel costs and mounting pressure to curb emissions are leading modern merchant fleets to rediscover the ancient power of the sail. The world’s first commercial ship powered partly by a giant kite sets off on a maiden voyage from Bremen to Venezuela on Tuesday, in an experiment which inventor Stephan Wrage hopes can wipe 20%, or $1,600, from the ship’s daily fuel bill. “We aim to prove it pays to protect the environment,” Wrage said. “Showing that ecology and economics are not contradictions motivate us all.” The 10,000-tonne ‘MS Beluga SkySails’ — which will use a computer-guided kite to harness powerful ocean winds far above the surface and support the engine — combines modern technology with know-how that has been in use for millennia. However, if Skysails is a relatively elaborate solution, another development shows the march of progress is not always linear: shipping companies seeking immediate answers to soaring fuel prices and the need to cut emissions are, simply, slowing down.
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