"A tall ship"

[Poignard]

https://www.fastcompany.com/9118514...s-the-atlantic?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-gb

 

[Sandy]

but not for the first time ever.

It must be a quite news day.

 

[Concerto]

They certainly seem to have big plans with 2 ships now and 6 more on order. Us sailors know how much cheaper it is to sail rather tham motor. The cost of powering ships has risen dramatically over the past few decades so reverting back to wind power with slightly uncertain/flexible arrival times does seem sensible.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

They certainly seem to have big plans with 2 ships now and 6 more on order. Us sailors know how much cheaper it is to sail rather tham motor. The cost of powering ships has risen dramatically over the past few decades so reverting back to wind power with slightly uncertain/flexible arrival times does seem sensible.

With something of the order of 11 billion tonnes of goods moved by shipping each year it's never going to even scratch the surface of that even if they achieve their ambition of hundreds of ships.

A nice little niche market.

 

[Concerto]

With something of the order of 11 billion tonnes of goods moved by shipping each year it's never going to even scratch the surface of that even if they achieve their ambition of hundreds of ships.

A nice little niche market.

Many large ships are fitting some wind useage devices to reduce fuel costs. This is just one company but many others are doing the same. Not quite the same as using sails as a major propulsion source, but an area of shipping that is growing rapidly.

Union Maritime to Equip 34 Newbuilds with Wind Propulsion Technology

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Many large ships are fitting some wind useage devices to reduce fuel costs. This is just one company but many others are doing the same. Not quite the same as using sails as a major propulsion source, but an area of shipping that is growing rapidly.

Union Maritime to Equip 34 Newbuilds with Wind Propulsion Technology

There are over 50,000 ships moving that 11 billion tonnes, some very big numbers there.

 

[Concerto]

There are over 50,000 ships moving that 11 billion tonnes, some very big numbers there.

All cargo used to be carried by sail alone, the invention of the steam engine started as a power source on ships when the wind was too light. This made arrival times more accurate and then with better, more powerful and economic engines, they superceded sail. The idea of fuel saving and emissions is making many ship owners look to alternative sources of power including wind assistance. At present this is all experimental, including sail and along with artic passages. Some will fall by the wayside and others will become more normal, but I doubt if any will stop diesel engines being the prime power source considering the vast amount of cargo being shipped round the world. Having a number of alternatives should help the shipping industry to be more flexible. Currently the war in Ukrane has affected the oil market and Houthi militants in the Red Sea are affecting the volume of shipping using the Suez Canal with many shipping companies taking the longer route via the Cape of Good Hope. Problems between China and the Philippines could cause further rerouting of shipping from south ease asia. All of these factors can have a huge effect on shipping costs and may make some multinational companies to move production to areas closer to their markets with a knock on effect of requiring different ships using the most fuel efficient power soure. Adding sail to the shipping mix might seem a small addition, but should also mean many smaller ports should be able to handle their cargoes, thereby reducing inland movement of cargo.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

All cargo used to be carried by sail alone, the invention of the steam engine started as a power source on ships when the wind was too light. This made arrival times more accurate and then with better, more powerful and economic engines, they superceded sail. The idea of fuel saving and emissions is making many ship owners look to alternative sources of power including wind assistance. At present this is all experimental, including sail and along with artic passages. Some will fall by the wayside and others will become more normal, but I doubt if any will stop diesel engines being the prime power source considering the vast amount of cargo being shipped round the world. Having a number of alternatives should help the shipping industry to be more flexible. Currently the war in Ukrane has affected the oil market and Houthi militants in the Red Sea are affecting the volume of shipping using the Suez Canal with many shipping companies taking the longer route via the Cape of Good Hope. Problems between China and the Philippines could cause further rerouting of shipping from south ease asia. All of these factors can have a huge effect on shipping costs and may make some multinational companies to move production to areas closer to their markets with a knock on effect of requiring different ships using the most fuel efficient power soure. Adding sail to the shipping mix might seem a small addition, but should also mean many smaller ports should be able to handle their cargoes, thereby reducing inland movement of cargo.

As I said a niche market.

 

[Bajansailor]

There is also Grain de Sail - they started off with a relatively small (24 metre LOA) aluminium schooner that could carry 50 tonnes on the transatlantic trade -
Our cargo sailboat Grain de Sail

And they now have a second, much bigger aluminium schooner that can carry 350 tonnes - she was built in Vietnam.
Our cargo sailboat Grain de Sail II - 350 T

Here is a photo of the two vessels together for comparison.