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This seems so obvious I can't believe it hasn't been invented already. There must be reasons why. The only questions I would have are: - Do the sails automat

This seems so obvious I can't believe it hasn't been invented already. There must be reasons why. The only questions I would have are: - Do the sails automatically retract for height clearance? - What is the cost of installation (how many years to repay initial costs) - What are the ongoing maintenance costs? - Is the 20% the average cost savings per trip, or only while the sails are in use? Outside of that, this seems like an obvious solution for retro-fitting any tanker-type vessel. Cargo container ships may not be able to fit something like this. Still, 20% savings and that is regardless of the fuel used I'd imagine. It's just on top of whatever normally is powering the ship in conditions that would support the automatic deployment of the sails. I'd imagine this is best on certain routes that generally have stronger winds.

bayindirh 5y ago
> Do the sails automatically retract for height clearance? It seems that system automatically deflates and tucks itself away for bridges or if sea becomes rough.
rmah 5y ago
It was invented around 150 years ago. During the early age of steam, when engines were much less efficient than today and re-coaling/re-fueling infrastructure much less widespread, sail + engine arrangements were common. My understanding is that cargo ships usually operate on rather thin margins except during a occasional fat times (like right now)... If new sail designs were actually economically beneficial, ship owners would adopt them ASAP. As the quip goes, they like money. Color me cynical, but I don't really think they care too much about the environment.