Wind-Powered Tall Ships Are Once Again Important As Oil Prices Hurt Trade
Sometimes it takes an energy crisis to make us realize the value of old technology. As oil prices soar, tall wind-powered ships are looking like an increasingly viable alternative.
The first commercial cargo of French wine to be transported by sailboat in the modern era is due to arrive in Dublin this week after a six-day trip. The 108 year-old British boat, chartered by French shipping company Compagnie de Transport Maritime a la Voile (CMTV), is carrying 30,000 bottles of wine.
Though the ship travels at a top speed of eight knots— half the speed of a modern cargo vessel—it is completely pollution-free. The 50,000 other merchant ships traveling the world emit 800 million tons of carbon dioxide each year.
The Kathleen & May spent most of its life transporting coal and clay. It was taken out of commercial service in 1960. Now it’s once again hard at work, as CMTV has contracted for 80 vineyard owners from southern France to carry their wine bottles to Ireland on the ship. The company is also working on another deal to bring Irish whiskey and scotch to France using the boat, and it eventually plans on building its own tall ships for transport.
CMTV may be on to something; according to the French Association of Shipowners, wind-powered boats could capture .5% of the commercial shipping market. This may not sound like much—until you consider that 90% of the world’s traded goods are transported via boat.
Tall ships may move a bit slower than fossil-fuel powered ships, but their minimal environmental impact could make them sea trade’s best hope for the future.
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July 25th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
There is also Alcyone, commissioned by the Cousteau Society, which supplements its diesel engines with a Turbosail to harness power from the wind.
July 25th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
Very interesting – thanks for the tip!
July 25th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
I’d sure like to know more about this. What’s this story’s source, and why isn’t it credited or linked?
July 25th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
John – the original story is linked in the first paragraph. Sorry if that wasn’t clear.
July 25th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
With the high price of oil, tall ships are appearing again. A French sailing ship just delivered a cargo of wine to Ireland. Although they travel at half the speed of conventional cargo vessels, they require no fuel (in the form of petrochemicals, at least – the crew still has to eat).
In related news, Halliburton has filed a patent with the Bush administration giving them credit for wind.
July 25th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
Ariel-
Do you have any idea what kind of manning a vsl like this requires? I cant imagine there are a whole lot of crews capable of handling a vsl like this.
To defend shipping for a second too, i work for an owner, we (the industry of course) carry 90% of the worlds cargo (or trade) yet only create 6% of the carbon emissions while another 18% of the worlds carbon dioxide pollution comes from other transportation. So please don’t be coming down on one of the cleanest and most efficient modes of transport in the world. I do agree that we could be more efficient. These efficiencies would lead to lower prices for everyone in everything, but until something more viable and reliable than wind power comes along. We must stay with using Heavy Fuel oils (which is just waste distillates from refineries).
July 25th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
wow, that’s a wonderful blog and as far as this blog post goes, it’s nice to see that people are doing things to keep things green even though they just want to save money, till the time it’s helping the enviornment, it’s cool!
July 25th, 2008 at 11:25 pm
One single company is using one single ship to move one luxury product. I don’t think the headline is justified by this.
July 26th, 2008 at 12:03 am
Wind powered cargo vessels.Wow! What a great concept.
The only natural way of travel that man ever invented but discarded it as being inefficient for the job.Using the power of the earths resources to propel a ship.
With solar panels supplying electricity and winches to lower and trim sails this could be done with a small crew.
July 26th, 2008 at 1:48 am
This issue comes up again and again every time there’s an oil crisis.
Actually you really don’t need a big crew with modern sailing technology. A good example is the Maltese Falcon and her revolutionary sailing system:http://www.symaltesefalcon.com/index2.asp
To us who love tall ships in would certainly be great news to see another reason for developing sailing technology.
I had a chance to she her sailing last summer here in Palma de Mallorca, really impressive!.
Regards.
July 26th, 2008 at 10:24 am
While tall ships most likely won’t return to the mainstream, the fact that people are using them in commercial applications indicates that wind power IS gaining some serious momentum as a viable source. Check out SkySails, too (http://www.skysails.info/).
We have always been capable of zero-emission transport (sailing is not new tech); however, the short-term direction I see it taking is a hybrid approach, where wind powers auxiliary systems and works in conjunction with the ship’s engines for propulsion. Long-term, with advances in solar, wind, and wave technology manufacturing, it is not unreasonable to think we will have zero-emission sea vessels that are just as, if not more, efficient than our current vessels.
Anyway, I like the idea of using tall ships to transport. They are, and always will be, much cooler than modern container ships.
July 27th, 2008 at 10:42 am
Amazing, but whatever works… I see some ships are now installing green algae fuel production units on board. They lower fueling costs and increase cruising range.
If you think it is embarasing to run out of fuel on the highway, think about running out of fuel at sea. The ability to make more fuel on board ship is one of the great achevements of the new Age of Bio-Technology.
larryhagedon
American Flex Fuel Experience.
AmericanFFE-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
July 27th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
I have been a sailor for more than 30 years. Unfortunately, the top speed of sailboats is not their only disadvantage as commercial carriers.
Sailboats are great fun, but they require nearly constant adjustments as the wind changes velocity and direction. The beautiful sails that enable quiet, emissions free propulsion also require a substantial capital investment and regular maintenance.
The hull speed is also only available when the wind is right. Unfortunately, that is not the case for 50-70% of the time.
Finally, the carrying capacity of sailing vessels is much lower than that of fossil or nuclear powered vessels. There is a good reason why competitive sailboats are very spartan down below – the weight of fixtures would slow down the boat.
July 27th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Anybody have information and a picture of the French schooner Saint Chateaux.
July 27th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
NIce! There is nothing like a ride on a nice sailing ship. Nothing like it anywhere!
JT
http://www.FireMe.To/udi
July 27th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
Rather than 100+ year old 2-and-3 masted sailboats, we are much more likely to be seeing the modern kite-assisted ships:
http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/01/kite-powered-fr.html
July 27th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Obviously modern day sailboats have the benefit of improved technology (autoriggers, gps, real time weather info, etc). They are still going to have serious limitations. Besides their slower speed, sailboats are rarely able to take direct routes to their destination… particularly while crossing either the Pacific or Atlantic Oceans. Sudden changes in weather patterns can mean course changes that can add days and weeks to a vogage, a serious disadvantage for sailboats.
I see sails augmenting our current superfreighters as a viable solution to energy prices… but sailboats? Prices need to come up big time.
July 27th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
Hmmmmmm…… let’s see…….30,000 bottles of french wine going to Ireland…… That should be about a 2 day supply for them. Irish whiskey and scotch to France……as far back as I can remember, over there scotch and whiskey are both the same thing. But then I don’t drink anymore…..perhaps the memory download isn’t the same these days. A french man drinking anything other than wine…..unforgivable!!
July 27th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
if cutting transportation time in half is a problem, try combining wind and oil power 50/50.
July 28th, 2008 at 12:10 am
>> Tall ships may move a bit slower than fossil-fuel powered ships.
Uh, try again. The old wind powered ships were a lot slower than current commercial bulk cargo ship. More importantly, steam and oil powered cargo vessels were more reliable schedule-wise not to mention a lot less difficult to handle — especially going to windward.
How about oar power — like in Waterworld? I heard 2/3 of all Americans are fat cows so maybe this would be a good option.
July 28th, 2008 at 1:07 am
http://www.skysails.info/index.php?L=1
This will be the future! 20 to 50% lower gas (or faster speed).
July 28th, 2008 at 1:22 am
Wind-Powered Shipping Returns as As Oil Prices Soar | nerdd.net…
\r\n90% of the worlds traded goods are transported by boat. As oil prices soar, tall wind-powered sh…
July 28th, 2008 at 1:50 am
[...] 90% of the world’s traded goods are transported by boat. As oil prices soar, tall wind-powered ships are looking like an increasingly viable alternative. Though this tall ship travels at a top speed of eight knots–half the speed of a modern cargo vessel–it is pollution-free. The 50,000 other merchant ships emit 800 million tons of CO2 each year. Wind-Powered Tall Ships Are Once Again Important As Oil Prices Hurt Trade : CleanTechnica [...]
July 28th, 2008 at 3:08 am
I was thinking that the increase time on the trip mean more maintenance for crew. But since, someone said that these ships could still be run with minimal crew, it made me think that this really could be a viable alternative.
July 28th, 2008 at 6:47 am
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July 28th, 2008 at 8:10 am
These are luxury old world products that are in no hurry to get where they’re going.
I think the tallship adds romance and real value to the product. Wine is kept in oak barrels, ships are made of oak etc. It’s a natural fit and really good marketing.
July 28th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
You people need to get off the environmental train. Businessmen have not been deceived and subscribed to the eco fraud. Almost without exception, they do business to make a profit, not chase environmental causes.
July 28th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
[...] Wind-Powered Tall Ships Are Once Again Important As Oil Prices Hurt Trade [...]
July 28th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
Speed is not everything, my dears. Amazon has an option for some items called “super saver shipping”; if you can wait a few extra days it’s way cheaper because they can bundle the item with other things going to a node in your vicinity.
Some items don’t have to be rush shipped and can “get there when they get there.” Yes, there can be a problem with economies of scale, since no one really plans to outfit the Exxon Valdez (since renamed) with sails; but some routes can benefit from smaller vessels at lower cost.
I’d like to see schooners designed from the keel up for small crews, ballasted with enough batteries to take solar, wind and towed chargers to provide electric auxiliary engine with sufficient power to handle calms, harbors, and clawing away from lee shores as well as winching the sails and operating the cargo hoists (where port power is not available to hook up). Such ships, from fifty to three hundred tons displacement, could cover intracoastal and interisland commerce, Great Lakes, etc., for smaller loads competitively with what it’s going to be costing to move stuff with oil, or, God forbid, bunker coal.
& don’t have to be ugly, either!
July 28th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
[...] points from Obama’s campaign website, in order to highlight how he intends on dealing with oil prices and our dependence on [...]
July 29th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Actually the crew requirements for a square rigged ship are modest. Training is available globally.
But on the drawing borads and in some production are Wind Turbine driven Ships.
Just Google Wind Power ships
August 3rd, 2008 at 2:54 am
Nice looking picture. Looks like the Bounty, the Kaisei and the Eagle. I don’t recognize the vessel farthest to the right though.
August 4th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
There are a few other sailing ships that have similar programs. One of the most well known is the “Picton Castle”(www.picton-castle.com) out of Nova Scotia, Canada. She is a sail training vessel that carries cargo in her hold all over the world. She uses the money made to help offset the cost of the world voyages that she makes.
August 5th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Love Tall Ships: Picture this: Cargo under sail !!! A bow thruster’s for in close Props for tight maneuvering all electric powered;by capturing wind!!! Its all right there And we can accomplish this, We just need to think and do…. We have this technology $$ 2 Build $$ 2 Maintain free fuel 2 operate!!! diesel ship coast $$ 2 build,$$ 2 Maintain $$4 fuel!!!
DAAAAAAAA
August 8th, 2008 at 12:00 am
I think that the range and power of alternative technology are damaged by being over-hyped. People read a couple of statistics and suddenly are experts.
The fact of the tall ship being in service is fascinating — I would have liked to learn more about it. The speculation on carbon footprint impact is pure garbage and spoils the article.
August 24th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
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September 13th, 2008 at 7:04 am
Ssiling does require less of a crew now, but still people have to eat whether at sea or on land. That was a foolish shot. Note that pollution only shows up in Cities where it is concentrated, (lots of cars) and less trees. Answer: Plant more trees in the cities. Trees handle Pollution. Note: none, or minimal pollution in outlying areas of the country. I won’t live in a town with more than one stop light. Too much polluting while doing a useless activity. Why do you think that wealthier towns pride themselves in lots of them. Note: The problems Mr. T ran into when he tried to clear his own land. Sailing crew and cost can be fun and limited by taking on volunteers for the lesser experience jobs. People would come on and do this just for the experience of it. The Bounty takes on Volunteers for differing periods of time. Oh, and Global Warming; ain’t happening. Don’t fall for it.
May 16th, 2009 at 6:51 pm
Sailing ships are not completely pollution free. They must be built, painted, maintained, repaired by people and tools that generate pollution in their manufacture and/or use.
December 19th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
look up the sailing ship kwai that is running commercial trips in the south pacific kind of a hybid but still a step in the green direction
December 25th, 2009 at 7:23 am
[...] turn toward more sustainable practices. Some companies are even experimenting with a return to wind powered shipping. Controlling the buildup of barnacles and other organisms on ship’s hulls is another [...]