Cargo ships are a very efficient means of shipping cargo in terms of cost and energy per ton of freight moved. But the ships use some of the dirtiest fuel, and global shipping is responsible for 3-4% of all greenhouse gas emissions. So, while cleaning up ocean freight isn't the sole solution to atmospheric greenhouse gasses, it's an area that could stand some improvement.
One solution may come from B9 Energy, the largest independent operator of wind farms in the UK. B9 is now venturing into shipping with a carbon neutral cargo ship that is due to set sail in 2012. At only 3,000 tons, this ship will be considerably smaller than a typical bulk freighter, which tends to be in the range of 15,000 to 30,000 tons. But, unlike a typical freighter, it will be carbon neutral. 60% of the ship's energy is to be provided by sails, just like the clipper ships of the 1800s. The remaining 40% of the ship's energy will be provided by engines running on liquefied methane produced from biogas sources. If demand for biofuel outstips supply, the ship can also be run on liquefied natural gas.
The prototype vessel is expected to cost about $24.4 million. If the ship proves successful, as many as 50 more might be built.
Previously on EcoGeek: Sky Sails
via: Cleantech
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Comments (10)
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written by Reggie, January 05, 2010
How many tonnes of carbon dioxide will be released in just manufacturing the ship in the first place? It would be much better to just repurpose older cargo ships to this way of powering them, instead of creating brand new ships.
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written by Paul Barthle, January 05, 2010
A lighter cargo ship will be an excellent choice for trading with smaller countries/trading partners that have something special to offer other than cheap labor. Allow smaller retail outlets to import smaller amounts of artisanal goods at lower duties is my idea of free trade.
As for standby propulsion and on-board power, how about a pyrolitic reactor to break down shipboard refuse into syn-fuel rather than dumping it overboard to join the garbage patch. THAT would be the ideal retro-fit for naval and cruise ships as well.
As for standby propulsion and on-board power, how about a pyrolitic reactor to break down shipboard refuse into syn-fuel rather than dumping it overboard to join the garbage patch. THAT would be the ideal retro-fit for naval and cruise ships as well.
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written by Bill, January 05, 2010
I think this sounds like an excellent idea. Quite a bit of wind and sun out on the open waters. 
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written by Todd Edelman, January 05, 2010
I think the sail part is great. The biogas? Well, if it comes from toilets in vegan restaurants it would be great BUT more likely is that it is an extra product of industrial agriculture (which means lots of embedded energy from petroleum)not to mention a rough sail for lotsa critters.
Of course, natural gas is not carbon-free.
Vessels like this certainly have a role to play, but we can - in a sense - make all shipping a lot more efficient or less damaging if we just consume much less garbage... toys, packaging, exotic ingredients...
Of course, natural gas is not carbon-free.
Vessels like this certainly have a role to play, but we can - in a sense - make all shipping a lot more efficient or less damaging if we just consume much less garbage... toys, packaging, exotic ingredients...
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written by Carl Hage, January 05, 2010
The experiments with kite-sails on cargo ships seems much less expensive than building a schooner with small carrying capacity. I have not heard anything recently-- see the BBC article from 2 years ago:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7205217.stm. The result of the test was a 20% fuel savings:http://www.treehugger.com/file...-kites.php
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written by Mike, January 06, 2010
Our entire global shipping industry has changed to multimodal container transport. Here in the San Francisco Bay area, our non-container shipping industry has nearly dried up and is no longer viable. I could see these ships being useful for boutique industries where customers are willing to pay a premium for eco-friendly products e.g. the company in France shipping wine to England via a sailing vessel http://www.guardian.co.uk/envi...nemissions. According to the article however, the carbon savings are small at 4.9 oz of carbon per bottle. It is tough to beat the economy of scale found in our modern multi-modal shipping industry and infrastructure. Being a sailor myself, I fully support the idea of a rebirth of the schooner shipping industry as a return to slower and more sustainable times. 
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written by Bram meulenbeld, January 07, 2010
Fantastic idea. It might not be completely flawless as Reggie says, but we need ideas. Critizising is easy, but coming up with solutions isn't. Therefor there is a new website that is aimed at not only discussing issues, but also to come up with solutions. Please join on http://www.discussourfuture.org and don't forget the forum: http://www.discussourfuture.org/future. Please register and discuss!
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written by Dai, January 07, 2010
Some combination of modular transport/kite sails will probably prove to be the most economically feasible although experimenting in this area requires large amounts of capital - most likely from government sources. It would be an interesting sight to see, giant cargo ships under sail.
Using methane is one method of powering the ships engines which is so-called renewable. However another method would be using hydrogen - desalinating the sea water splitting it onboard. This process could take place when the ship was under sail so that the ship could go into harbour and out again using the engines to manoeuvre.
Using methane is one method of powering the ships engines which is so-called renewable. However another method would be using hydrogen - desalinating the sea water splitting it onboard. This process could take place when the ship was under sail so that the ship could go into harbour and out again using the engines to manoeuvre.
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written by Lloyd Alter, January 11, 2010
The hulls are made from "recycled steel, melted down by the heat from torrified wood, which releases virtually no fossil carbon into the atmosphere."
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written by Diane Gilpin, January 14, 2010
It's great to hear all your comments - thanks for taking the trouble to engage with our project.
reggie: It isn't possible to retro-fit existing old ships and employ energy efficiency solutions. Our aim is to maximise use of wind power - carbon free - so the hull and rig - having been designed by a world leading racing yacht designer are all about improving performance under sail. Existing vessels are not blessed with the same hydrodynamic properties as we are designing in.
Operationally we save 16t of CO2 emissions a day over similar sized ships so whilst there is CO2 in manufacture we amortize that over time. I'll get my calculator out and work out how long it takes - unless there are better mathematicians out there than me!
We are specifying steel from identifiable sources - discontinued oil rigs, defunct ships etc - and we are heavily involved in the breaking process to ensure environmental standards are scrupulously adhered to.
We are working with Corus - our steel partners - in enabling them to reduce emissions for production of B9 Ships. That does mean torriefied pellets in milling - and we'll be shipping then in B9 Ships. Nice closed loop.
Paul Barthle and Mike: there are about 10 000 small coasters carrying dry bulk and liquids currently operating in the world today. We may not be able (yet) to shift containerised cargoes. But all major operators are being forced to reduce speeds to save fuel costs (which has the side effect of reducing emissions - whilst emissions reduction is B9's principle purpose in life btw)We are already working on larger vessels.
We will be commercial competitive - no premium freight rates for 'boutique eco ships'! This is the real end of shipping we're in, where the real savings are made.
The principle cargoes we are building B9 Ships for - biomass - is new cargo, not yet in the global transport system - and we are designing the first B9 Ships specifically for this now low carbon cargo. Millions of tonnes are required to fuel new biomass power genration.
Dai: Our technologies are all off-the-shelf readily available in order to get ships in the water and start saving emissions now. We also want the ships to be simple and straightforward to build and operate. Rest assured our techies are already exploring the next, better, greener developments we can employ on future B9 Ships. We've been developing this idea for 20 years and have explored alsorts of solutions - ex sub batteries being re-charged as we move through the water, regular diesel engines (but we want to avoid all fossil fuels). We believe we have the optimum solution for the specified cargo but we don't plan to stop at one design solution, we are always eager to find pratical emission reduction solutions.
Todd: the biogas is derived from municipal waste.
Carl Hage: We work closely with Sky Sails and share a designer. Maximum emissions they can save is about 30% - whilst we can easily double that. But Sky Sails are brilliant for retro-fitting and we are looking at using both Sky Sails and our Dyna-Rig in tandem. More on that when the design guys have something. The image in this piece is an earlier design - see www.b9shipping.com for the newest design.
You can also see there our solution for Clean Ports which does involve dealing with on-baord waste to create bio-gas, but our discussions with the conventional shipping community proved a littel disheartening. They do chuck waste over the side because there is no legislation stopping them doing so. Perhaps we could begin to create a lobby to stop that so the waste can be re-used.
'A truly civilised society is one where there is no waste' Satish Kumar (a hero of mine)
To conclude, personally, I'm with Todd. We have our own hens, grow our own veg, only buy seasonal, local food (except tea - to which I am addicted!), we live in a zero emission home - from where I work, we limit our use of cars, avoid flying. But not everyone does and my place is to do what I can to enable a smooth transition to a low carbon economy. I have an 11 year old son, my B9 colleagues have children - they are our motivation.
Thank you for your interest and ideas.
reggie: It isn't possible to retro-fit existing old ships and employ energy efficiency solutions. Our aim is to maximise use of wind power - carbon free - so the hull and rig - having been designed by a world leading racing yacht designer are all about improving performance under sail. Existing vessels are not blessed with the same hydrodynamic properties as we are designing in.
Operationally we save 16t of CO2 emissions a day over similar sized ships so whilst there is CO2 in manufacture we amortize that over time. I'll get my calculator out and work out how long it takes - unless there are better mathematicians out there than me!
We are specifying steel from identifiable sources - discontinued oil rigs, defunct ships etc - and we are heavily involved in the breaking process to ensure environmental standards are scrupulously adhered to.
We are working with Corus - our steel partners - in enabling them to reduce emissions for production of B9 Ships. That does mean torriefied pellets in milling - and we'll be shipping then in B9 Ships. Nice closed loop.
Paul Barthle and Mike: there are about 10 000 small coasters carrying dry bulk and liquids currently operating in the world today. We may not be able (yet) to shift containerised cargoes. But all major operators are being forced to reduce speeds to save fuel costs (which has the side effect of reducing emissions - whilst emissions reduction is B9's principle purpose in life btw)We are already working on larger vessels.
We will be commercial competitive - no premium freight rates for 'boutique eco ships'! This is the real end of shipping we're in, where the real savings are made.
The principle cargoes we are building B9 Ships for - biomass - is new cargo, not yet in the global transport system - and we are designing the first B9 Ships specifically for this now low carbon cargo. Millions of tonnes are required to fuel new biomass power genration.
Dai: Our technologies are all off-the-shelf readily available in order to get ships in the water and start saving emissions now. We also want the ships to be simple and straightforward to build and operate. Rest assured our techies are already exploring the next, better, greener developments we can employ on future B9 Ships. We've been developing this idea for 20 years and have explored alsorts of solutions - ex sub batteries being re-charged as we move through the water, regular diesel engines (but we want to avoid all fossil fuels). We believe we have the optimum solution for the specified cargo but we don't plan to stop at one design solution, we are always eager to find pratical emission reduction solutions.
Todd: the biogas is derived from municipal waste.
Carl Hage: We work closely with Sky Sails and share a designer. Maximum emissions they can save is about 30% - whilst we can easily double that. But Sky Sails are brilliant for retro-fitting and we are looking at using both Sky Sails and our Dyna-Rig in tandem. More on that when the design guys have something. The image in this piece is an earlier design - see www.b9shipping.com for the newest design.
You can also see there our solution for Clean Ports which does involve dealing with on-baord waste to create bio-gas, but our discussions with the conventional shipping community proved a littel disheartening. They do chuck waste over the side because there is no legislation stopping them doing so. Perhaps we could begin to create a lobby to stop that so the waste can be re-used.
'A truly civilised society is one where there is no waste' Satish Kumar (a hero of mine)
To conclude, personally, I'm with Todd. We have our own hens, grow our own veg, only buy seasonal, local food (except tea - to which I am addicted!), we live in a zero emission home - from where I work, we limit our use of cars, avoid flying. But not everyone does and my place is to do what I can to enable a smooth transition to a low carbon economy. I have an 11 year old son, my B9 colleagues have children - they are our motivation.
Thank you for your interest and ideas.
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