Across Atlantic by kite

Lloyds List DCN
Thursday 27/3/2008 Page: 20

THE KITE-propelled ship Beluga SkySails has completed her maiden transatlantic voyage, arriving in Norway with the owner and engineers happy. "I believe it to be the start of the renaissance of wind power in modern shipping," SkySails managing director Stephan Wrage said. However, the first kite in use exploded somewhere high in the sky above the ocean. "We are in a testing phase and therefore pushing the limits," he said.

On January 22, the 9,775 dwt new building Beluga SkySails sailed from Germany to Venezuela, the US and Norway. Her first voyage focussed on calibration work and adjustments to stabilise the towing kite propulsion. "The towing kite system could be tested extensively on the transatlantic routes for periods of between a few minutes and up to eight hours," Mr Wrage said.

"During that time, the kite system pulled the ship with up to five tonnes of power at force five to six winds, which is a reduction of the engine output of more than 20%. "Projected onto the entire day, this performance represents a saving of some 2.5 tonnes of fuel or about US$1,200 per operating day." The testing of the kite system onboard the Beluga SkySails is co-funded with E1.2m (US$945,000) from the European Union's LIFE program.

Competitive
"By co-funding the project we want to set clear signals for climate-relevant technologies of the future and at the same time support the competitive ability of European shipping," Paul Nemitz, deputy head of the European Commission's Maritime Policy Task Force, said. After the pilot phase, the 160 sqm kite is to be replaced by one that is twice the size, delivering double the amount of energy and saving twice as much fuel.

By 2009, 10 kites with some 600 sqm should be available, which could then be operational with handymax vessels of 35,000 dwt-40,000 dwt. Mr Wrage said that with the success of the maiden voyage, shipowners would overcome their cautiousness and sign contracts. So far there were only three firm orders, including the one from Beluga Shipping. Mr Wrage said that SkySails was in final negotiations with five or six German shipowners and others.

Volharding Shipyards in the Netherlands built the Beluga SkySails. It cost about E500,000 to install the SkySails system - a 15 metre mast and the gondola containing the kite. Strengthening her bow cost about E150,000, taking the cost of the ship to E20m. It would pay off financially in three to five years depending on the routes, Mr Wrage said.