German Kite Ship

  German Kite Ship Sets Sail for Venezuela on Maiden Voyage
  By <a href="http://www.free-articles-zone.com/author/3295">-- --
</a>

 On January 22nd, 2008, in the German port of Bremerhaven, the motor vessel Beluga SkySails was preparing to leave on a journey across the Atlantic Ocean to Guanta in Venezuela. This was to be no routine Atlantic crossing, however. It was to be a biofriendly maiden voyage of the first cargo ship whose engines are assisted by a huge kite.
The computer-controlled kite, with a surface area of 1722 square feet (160 square meters), is attached to the ship’s bow with a long cable that allows it to hover at a height of up to 300 meters, where the winds are more constant and stronger than near the surface of the ocean. (1)
SkySails GmbH in Hamburg manufactured the giant kite and has tested its prototypes on ships in the Baltic Sea. The next few months will tell how successful these kite-assisted hybrid ships are and will provide a more accurate picture of potential fuel savings. Stephan Wrage, SkySails’ chief executive, estimates an average of 20% reduction of fuel consumption, which works out to about $1,600 per day for the 10,000 ton Beluga. The reduction in harmful emissions is expected to be even more dramatic.
According to a University of Delaware study in 2003, ships around the world use more than 5 million barrels of oil a day, most of which is heavy fuel oil with a high sulfur content resulting in emissions of about 10 million tons of sulfur dioxide annually, in addition to about 5% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions. Thus, fuel savings in the shipping industry can have a dramatic biofriendly impact on the environment, in addition to cost savings. (2)
Shipping companies are watching the MS Beluga SkySails’ maiden voyage with interest and, if successful, many will line up to place their orders for kites. SkySails’ Stephan Wrage is confident of positive results and wants to demonstrate to the world that economics and environment can work together for optimal results. He plans to further increase the size of his kites for even greater fuel savings. The Beluga Company is confident as well and has ordered two more kite-assisted ships.
Meanwhile, shipping companies, as a result of soaring fuel costs, are slowing down their ships. A speed reduction of ten percent can result in a twenty-five percent reduction of fuel consumption, according to a Reuters report. Even though the journeys take longer, the savings are still considerable. One company saved so much in fuel that they could add another ship to their fleet and still save money. And by using less fuel, emissions and air pollution are cut as well, so once again the environment benefits. (3)
Other ways of saving on fuel are being explored as well, such as regularly cleaning the ships’ hulls to reduce water resistance and choosing the most optimum shipping routes according to weather forecasts.
Another way to save fuel and benefit the environment is by using fuel additives. One such product is the Green Plus® liquid fuel catalyst from Biofriendly Corporation, which causes a cleaner, more linear burn of the fuel in internal combustion engines, with a resulting torque increase, reduced emissions and better fuel economy. Green Plus is in use by shipping companies across the globe.
For more information on Green Plus, visit the Biofriendly website at http://www.biofriendly.com/.
References:
(1)http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7201887.stm
(2)http://www.greencarcongress.com/2006/01/beluga_shipping.html
(3)http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22788488/

  Author, Peter Verhoeff, contributes articles on environmental issues for Biofriendly Corporation. More information on these and other topics can be found on the Biofriendly site.
 
Article Source: <a href='http://www.articles.co.il/article.php?id=130292'>http://www.free-articles-zone.com</a>