It won't replace propellers, but an oversize paraglider-shaped kite could help cut fuel costs for ocean-going vessels as it also reduces their emissions. The airborne gear, from a Hamburg, Germany-based company called SkySails , has been tested on smaller ships over several years and now is being fitted for a cargo ship from Beluga Shipping, headquartered in nearby Bremen. The maiden voyage for the 130-meter MV Beluga SkySails is expected in 2007.
The kite for the cargo ship spreads out over about 160 square meters (190 square yards). Unlike the sails of sailing ships, which hang from masts and are only a short distance above the decks, the SkySail runs 100 to 300 meters up and out in front of the ship on a long tether.
"Ours will be the first commercial use in cargo shipping," Verena Frank, project manager at Beluga, told the Reuters news agency. "There will be some teething pains." If the SkySail works well enough, the shipping company plans to add the system one ship at a time to its fleet of some 40 vessels.
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