Page 47: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (October 2019)

HISTORY DESIGN EVOLUTION

The Future is ‘blowin’ in the wind: a number of new ‘old’ technologies such as wind power are making serious in- roads in maritime design as the industry plots a course toward decarbonization.

Credit: Windship are simply the march of technology like ship autonomy. For my prediction I am

Thrustmaster’s patented T-Pod, electric podded reaching back to that painting. I am bet-

A?sw?lSsYOlS???lG??s?lSGwŽ?lG?ÐsGYlAYE?Žd??l ting that, in 20 years, commercial sail lS???lG??Žu?OŽYIŽ??Ž??S?d?sEAYEEsG?GuGuGÐl?sÐ will have found a new footing in com- vessel projects. mercial maritime.

I don’t think that sail will become a

With its permanent magnet motor in the pod dominant means of propulsion, but with

Es?GÐlu?IŽ??A?EŽIlSGÐ?ŽÐGuuG??lSGYGGEIŽ?

the pressures of carbon reduction, and a ?sOSlAYOuGOGA???A??ŽÐsAlGE?SAO?AYEdGA?sYO?

combination of parallel innovations, I am

IŽ?YEsYŽlSG?A?sw?lSlS???lG??s?GuswsYAlGE?

starting to think that there will be a place dSs??GwŽ|G?OGA?uŽ??G?AYEswÐ?Ž|G??GusAdsusl?

for commercial sail in long haul bulk

AYE?G?s?lAYÐGlŽEAwAOGE?GlŽIŽ?usYOŽ?

transportation.

grounding. The large propeller diameter and

I see quite a lot of sail propulsion pro- ?uGYEG?S?E?Ž?E?YAwsÐAuu??SAÐGEÐŽEI??lSG?

posals out there and, on a technological

GYSAYÐGÐG?IŽ?wAYÐGsYlG?w?ŽIG?ÐsGYÐ?

level, some proposals make sense to me, and thrust.

and others make no sense at all, but what

EsG?Gu?GuGÐl?sÐÐŽ?G?l?AsYAuuŽ??

I rarely see is a system analysis of the use lSG??GŽIw?uOÐuGdsG??OGYG?AlŽ??

of sail in bulk transportation.

AYEI?GGEŽwŽIuŽÐAOŽYIŽ?ŽÐOwAu

The combination of incredibly im- ?GsOSlEs?l?sd?OŽYAYE?ÐAÐG proved communication methods, vastly ?Ous?AOŽY?

better weather and current predictions, and emerging sail technologies, inherent-

Learn more at: ly will make sail propulsion much more www.Thrustmaster.net reliable and will vastly improve the tran-

Contact: sit times between distant ports over the early 20th century transit times.

WA?uZGwdAÐS?,?d?sE^??lGw?DAYAOG?

The improvement is not just marginal;

ÐA?u??GwdAÐS?lS???lwA?lG?lG?A??ÐŽwWSŽYG?????????????

it is momentous. While I am not for a www.marinelink.com 47

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