Sailing ships might be back, with a major marine cargo company testing a new system of folding sails.

A collaboration between Cargill, BAR Technologies, Mitsubishi Corporation and Yara Marine Technologies could reduce marine cargo carbon emissions by 30 per cent. Mitsubishi Corporation’s Pyxis Ocean, chartered by Cargill, is the first vessel to be retrofitted with two WindWings, which are large wing sails measuring up to 37.5 meters in height that can be fitted to the deck of cargo ships to harness the power of wind.

The performance of the WindWings will be closely monitored over the coming months to further improve their design, operation, and performance, with the aim that the Pyxis Ocean will be used to inform the scale-up and adoption across not only Cargill’s fleet but the industry.

BAR Technologies and Yara Marine Technologies are already planning to build hundreds of wings over the next four years and BAR Technologies is also researching newbuilds with improved hydrodynamic hull forms.

“If international shipping is to achieve its ambition of reducing CO2 emissions, then innovation must come to the fore. Wind is a near marginal cost-free fuel and the opportunity for reducing emissions, alongside significant efficiency gains in vessel operating costs, is substantial,” said John Cooper, CEO, BAR Technologies.

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