Sometimes I see news like the one I'm commenting on today, which makes my day when I see that there are many people trying to apply real and urgent solutions to the problem of the Climate Crisis that is upon us.
This is the case of the Pyxis Ocean, which is a bulk freighter that sails the seas with an innovative propulsion system: sails. This ship, chartered by the shipping company Cargill, represents a significant step towards more sustainable maritime transport.
Maritime transport is responsible for a considerable amount of global greenhouse gas emissions. This industry is constantly looking for ways to reduce its environmental impact, and Pyxis Ocean presents itself as a real and promising alternative.
The innovative technology of this boat is its two 37.5 meter high fiber sails, called WindWings. These sails are rigid, aerodynamic structures that function like an airplane wing, capturing wind energy to propel the boat. The design is from an English company, and these “sails” could be applied to a multitude of ships that are sailing.
After sailing for a few months, the shipping company Cargill has stated that each day of navigation the ship has saved 3 tons of fuel, which represents 11.2 tons of CO2 emissions. Which represents around 30% of the ship's emissions.
If we take into account that more than 100,000 cargo ships transporting goods, with a measure as simple as this, the emission of more than 1 million tons of CO2 per day would be avoided. Not a negligible thing.
The boat's sails are foldable, they are retracted when the boat enters port and deployed when it leaves the open sea. And since ships have an average life of the order of 30 years or more, I believe that this is a simple and quick way to reduce the pollution generated by a ship in the last part of its useful life. Something that could be applied to a large majority of boats.
Of course the definitive solution is for ships to not pollute at all, but until that day arrives many years will pass and all alternatives are good if they reduce the pollution they generate. And this one that I'm commenting on today is one of them, and quite easy to implement.
I hope that many shipping companies do similar things as soon as possible. We are fighting against time.
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