You can get the girl out of Hamburg, but you don't get Hamburg out of the girl. I always get excited when I spot container logos from my hometown harbor on American freeways. I also follow harbor news. This news announcement by Hapag-Lloyd AG is very exciting! Imagine #cargo ships with #zeroemissions ! #CargoSailing is coming back! Read on:
Hapag-Lloyd Plans Sail Ship of the Future
Once, large cargo sailing ships traversed the world's oceans using the power of the wind to transport goods. Now, the Hamburg-based shipping company Hapag-Lloyd is working on a concept for a carbon-neutral future, which includes plans for container ships with sail propulsion. "In a special research and development study, we are currently evaluating the potential of wind power as a possible decarbonization measure for our future fleet," says Christoph Thiem, Director of Strategic Assets Projects, and Martin Köpke, Manager of Regulatory Affairs & Sustainability at Hapag-Lloyd.
The current concept revolves around a 260-meter-long unit with space for approximately 4,500 TEUs on board. In addition, eight masts with sails are planned to be installed on the deck. Their sail area would be larger than that of the well-known sail training ship "Gorch Fock" of the German Navy, which boasts 1800 square meters. As it stands now, Hapag-Lloyd's "sail ship" would also have an engine that can be operated with methanol, in addition to the 3000 square meters of sail area.
"F&E (Research and Development) is nothing new at Hapag-Lloyd," says Thiem. In recent decades, the company has invested significantly in this area. Thiem adds, "We have always been an innovative shipping company." The pressure for innovation has increased significantly in recent years, along with the number of employees involved in innovation-related matters. While the focus was previously on burning fuel as efficiently as possible, employees in this area are currently exploring various fuels and alternative technologies, including the use of wind energy as an additional propulsion method.
"While our industry aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, here at Hapag-Lloyd, we have set the goal to do this by 2045," reports Köpke. The challenge is the future availability of alternative fuels. Köpke emphasizes, "We will not be able to address this challenge without research and development."
Since wind-assisted ship propulsion is not yet market-ready, studies on the subject are set to be expanded. Thiem explains, "We have found a suitable partner in yachtsman Boris Herrmann and the Malizia team and initiated a concept study for a 4,500 TEU ship with a state-of-the-art wind-assisted propulsion system." Computer simulations aid in analyzing how this type of ship would behave under realistic weather conditions and how much energy could be saved with the support of the sail system. "We are also looking at the potential of weather-based route optimization," adds Köpke. Source: Täglicher Hafenbericht.
Fleet Mechanic at Harsco Rail
8moThanks Harsco, I hope you all there have a prosperous new near!