The difference is energy density. You can propel a large ship much faster on fossil fuels. This is why every Navy rapidly switched to coal and then oil and then

The difference is energy density. You can propel a large ship much faster on fossil fuels. This is why every Navy rapidly switched to coal and then oil and then to nuclear. For cargo, economies of scale in shipbuilding want big fast ships. And international commerce likes things to be delivered quickly. Sure you can go back to sails and solar, but it will be many orders of magnitude less powerful than fossil fuel or nuclear powered shipping.