Cargill shares result of wind-assisted vessel’s maiden voyage

During the six-month trial period, the Japanese firm MC Shipping's ship retrofitted with two large wind sails achieved fuel savings of about 3 mt/day on an annual average basis.

PHOTO: The Pyxis Ocean fitted with BAR Technologies' wind-assisted propulsion systems. Business Wire

The UK based marine engineering consultancy BAR Technologies provided the 37.5-meter-long wind sails to Pyxis Ocean, an 81,000-dwt Kamsarmax vessel chartered by Cargill.

The bulk carrier equipped with wind-assisted propulsion systems has navigated through various oceans, including the Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, North and South Atlantic, and through Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope.

During an open sea voyage, the vessel achieved marine fuel savings of 11 mt/day (translating to 41 mt/day less CO2e emitted on a well-to-wake basis), BAR Technologies’ chief executive officer John Cooper said. The company expects to install three wind sails on the other Kamsarmax vessels.

BAR Technologies and Cargill jointly estimate that Pyxis Ocean was able to reduce average fuel consumption by 3 mt/day (CO2e emission reductions of 11.2 mt/day on a well-to-wake basis) on an annual average basis.

“The wings are installed vertically to catch the wind and propel the ship forward…so that the ship can travel at the same speed as a conventional ship using less fuel,” Cargill said.

The wind sails were installed on the vessel at COSCO’s shipyard in China last year, and classification society DNV reviewed and verified the fuel savings calculations, Cargill added.

By Aparupa Mazumder 

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