Vessels carry roughly 80% of world trade and are a big source of emissions, with the majority of the shipping industry running on fuels made from crude oil and spewing out about 1 billion tons of CO2 each year. The sector’s global regulator last year set new climate goals and the European Union recently introduced a charge on carbon emissions. But so far, progress on cleaning up shipping has been relatively limited.
Commodities giant Cargill Inc is looking to add wind-power capability on future cargo ships, after experimenting with sails that made a large vessel greener.
The world’s top agricultural trader chartered the 80,000-ton Pyxis Ocean bulk carrier, which last year was fitted with two so-called WindWings made from steel and composite glass. Using the 123-foot-high structures to harness the wind should save 3 tons of fuel on average each day, Cargill says.
