World's first kite-towed cargo vessel makes first commercial transport

The kite-assisted cargo ships operated by MS Beluga SkySails are about to reach a milestone. For the first time, cargo is being commercially transported on one of these ships, according to a statement put out by the company. A SkySail ship left the German port of Bremen over the weekend on its way to Venezuela with cargo from DHL Global Forwading, the ocean and air freight carrier of the Deutsche Post World Net Group. According to The News Market, with favorable winds, "fuel costs can be lowered between ten and 35 percent. A small, 87-metre-long freighter would thus save an average of 280,000 Euros in fuel costs per year." That's hot. As SkySails declares on its website, the best wind situations can lower fuel consumption by 50 percent, at least temporarily. Even better, the company says, "Virtually all cargo ships can be retrofitted with the SkySails technology trouble-free." That's hotter.

I don't know how seriously KiteShip and SkySails compete with each oher, but I'd still like to think even KiteShip can be proud of this return to a more wind-powered ocean crossing.

Related:

• Build a kite big enough for a ship, and you'll save fuel
• Kite sails could help lower ship emissions and fuel mileage
• Videos: Skysail debuts on world's first commercial merchant ship to use kite power

[Source: The News Market]