Current Ships now using Old Technology

[NSXType-R]

New ships now use sails to increase fuel efficiency. A kite to be more exact.

Huge kite fitted on container ship - Green Machines - MSNBC.com

Discuss.

[aiasib]

"current" ships?

was that pun intended?

[coolieman1220]

haha lol ^ good call

[NSXType-R]

Originally Posted by aiasib

"current" ships?

was that pun intended?

No, I didn't notice that.

[VtecMini]

Isn't that a bit like using a hand-held fan to make yourself more efficient on rollerskates?

And wtf exactly is wrong with conventional sails, anyway?!

[The_Canuck]

They should put those on the battle ships....

[digitalcraft]

That is _awesome_

[NSXType-R]

Originally Posted by VtecMini

Isn't that a bit like using a hand-held fan to make yourself more efficient on rollerskates?

And wtf exactly is wrong with conventional sails, anyway?!

Not really. The kite/sails are computer controlled, iirc.

Wooden masts are hard to retrofit onto existing ships.

[whiteballz]

Kites can pull the ship in any direction, they dont get in the way of unloading/loading of the ship, and as mentioned, Retrofitting sails to ships that need that vertical space to hold its cargo is abit stupid

I've been reading up on this kite guy.

[clutch-monkey]

strap one to a human.

[Matra et Alpine]

Why it makes sense .... On KiteTugs©

[Coventrysucks]

Originally Posted by VtecMini

And wtf exactly is wrong with conventional sails, anyway?!

A big diesel engine is much easier, quicker and more reliable than sails.

Air draft through Suez and Panama, as well as entrances into some harbours mean you cannot fit tall masts, so your maximum sail area is reduced.

The hull shape is going to be a compromise - do you tailor it to work with sails and reduce volume, or increase volume and have an utterly hopeless sailing ship?

What happens when there is no wind? You need an engine as an auxiliary power supply - so you already have an engine, transmission, fuel tanks...

Even if there is wind - how do you get your 100,000 ton container ship to do 20kn in a 6kn headwind?

As a prime mover, propellers have a huge number of advantages, but wind-assistance makes a lot of sense, and there have been no end of proposals for attaching appendages to cargo ships over the years - none of them ever seem to catch on.

[aiasib]

these kite tugs are mainly for the open seas/international waters

and their made to assist engines, not replace them

[whiteballz]

exactly, They're designed (and proven) to reduce emmissions by up to 30% (on the test models) So the main voyage will be interesting to say the least.

[cmcpokey]

i dont see this as being likely to be installed on warships. we spend most of our time in busier areas near the coast. as such it would have several disadvantages. it would reduce visability, blocking out a big area of forward visibility. it would also not be affective if the wind was off your bow. seems like it would slow you down quite a bit, and actually reduce efficiency and speed. plus it also seems like it woudl be a big reflector of radar, and we like to be as invisible as possible.

now, for the commercial world, who spend most of their time doing long open ocean transits, it could make perfect sense. as long as the wind worked with them. and if they stay operating in the major ocean currents, the wind will typically follow suit. unfortunately, the major ocean currents aren't the shortest distance between europe and the US. (i am not really familiar with Pacific routes, since i am an Atlantic sailor. but one of these days I hope to be stationed out there.)

its a good idea, but i really don't see the benefits outweighing the costs.