BAR Technologies has developed innovative ship sails that can make travel green and shipping cargo more affordable. Pyxis Ocean already has such a sail installed and has even undergone half a year of sea trials.
Trials that included crossing the Indian and Pacific Oceans and the North and South Atlantic Oceans proved that the idea worked. But these technological devices are nothing like the traditional sails seen in old pirate movies.
They are made of fiberglass and steel and rise 37.5 meters above the deck. Their management is fully automated. The idea is not that the boat is powered by the wind, but that in favorable winds the load on the standard diesel engines is reduced. This saves up to 3 tonnes of diesel fuel per day, for a total fuel saving of 14%.
BAR Technologies, represented by CEO John Cooper, emphasizes that the installation of such sails on cargo ships will help not only to reduce fuel consumption, but also to significantly reduce the emission of toxic substances. Installing three sails on a typical cargo ship is expected to reduce emissions by one and a half times. But implementing this approach will require a lot of work, with at least 250 major seaports having to ensure compatibility with ships equipped with sails.
