MS ''Onego Deusto'' (christened ''Beluga SkySails'') is a commercial

container A container is any receptacle or enclosure for holding a product used in storage, packaging, and transportation, including shipping. Things kept inside of a container are protected on several sides by being inside of its structure. The term ...

cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are usu ...

. It is the world's first ship partially powered by a

computer A computer is a machine that can be programmed to Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as C ...

-controlled

kite rig Kite rigs are wind-assisted propulsion systems for propelling a vehicle. They differ from conventional sails in that they are flown from kite control lines, not supported by masts. Vehicles driven by kites include boats, buggies, and vehicles w ...

, called the

SkySails SkySails Group GmbH is a Hamburg-based company that sells kite rigs to propel cargo ships, large yachts and fishing vessels by wind energy as well as airborne wind energy systems for electricity production from high-altitude winds. Busines ...

system. It consists of a kite similar to a huge

paraglider Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or lies supine in a cocoon-like 'po ...

of up to area.

Kite power

The kite has an area of and reduces fuel consumption by 15–20% on average; it was set to be upgraded to in order to increase fuel savings by about 30%. Stephan Wrage, managing director of

GmbH – which installed the kite – announced: "During the next few months we will finally be able to prove that our technology works in practice and significantly reduces fuel consumption and emissions." Verena Frank, project manager at Beluga Shipping GmbH, SkySails GmbH's partner, further stated that "the project's core concept was using wind energy as , auxiliary propulsion power and using wind as a free of charge energy". This

kite A kite is a tethered heavier than air flight, heavier-than-air or lighter-than-air craft with wing surfaces that react against the air to create Lift (force), lift and Drag (physics), drag forces. A kite consists of wings, tethers and anchors. ...

is connected to the ship by a cable, and controlled by an automatic pod of actuators to maximize the wind benefits. The kite functions at an altitude between and . By using this system it is possible to improve the speed of the ship and reduce fuel consumption. SkySails calculates that the use of its technology worldwide could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 146 million tons (about 0.6% of the entire global energy-related emissions of CO₂). SkySails estimates the potential upgrade market for its system at more than 40,000 ships. Through 2013, the company was targeting less than 1% of that market – about 400 ships. During an evaluation performed between 2006 and 2009, the kite mounted on MS Beluga Skysails was estimated to achieve 5% fuel savings on an average route mix, and up to 10-12% fuel savings on North Atlantic and North Pacific routes.

Launch

The ship, owned by the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

firm Beluga Fleet Management GmbH, a subsidiary of Beluga Shipping GmbH within the

Beluga Group Beluga Shipping was a German heavy-lift shipping company in the Hanseatic city of Bremen. It was a world market leader in heavy-lift shipping and also highly innovative in related fields. As such, it was the first to equip ships of its fleet ...

, was launched 17 December 2007 and left the northern

port of

Bremerhaven Bremerhaven (, , Low German: ''Bremerhoben'') is a city at the seaport of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms a semi-enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the Riv ...

Guanta Guanta is the capital and largest city of Guanta Municipality. Together with Barcelona, Puerto La Cruz and Lechería it forms a conurbation of around 1.2m inhabitants. The town is named for the cacique A ''cacique'' (Latin American ; ; fe ...

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

on January 22, 2008. The ship was carrying cargo for DHL which sponsored the initiative.

United States Navy charter

On October 6, 2008, the United States Naval Military Sealift Command announced it had chartered the ''Beluga Skysails'' to transport

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

and

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

supplies from three European ports of call to the United States.

References

External links

Merchant ships and superyachts – the age of sail?
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Onego Deusto 2007 ships Merchant ships of the Netherlands Sailing ships of the Netherlands Ships built in the Netherlands