Environmentally friendly modes of transport are gradually making their way into the world of commercial shipping as well.
A Swedish consortium including the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, marine consultancy SSPA and shipbuilders-led Wallenius Marine have developed a wind-powered cargo ship. The development was called wind Powered Car Carrier or wPCC for short. As you might guess from the name, the purpose of the sailboat is to transport cars. It is stated that 7,000 cars can be transported at once.
The vessel is propelled by 4 high-tech specialized sails, most of all resembling fins. Thanks to this, it becomes possible to save a lot on fuel and reduce CO2 emissions immediately on the 90%. Not on the 100% because, for safety reasons, and for getting in and out of the harbor, the ship still has additional diesel engines.
The only downside to using wind power is that it will take about twice as long to cross the Atlantic. Normally, a cargo ship's journey takes 7 days, but in the case of cwPCC, the estimated delivery times can increase up to 12 days. However, it cannot be said that such a delay looks too critical, because cars can hardly be called a perishable commodity.
According to the developers, the vessel is 200 meters long, 40 meters wide and 100 meters high, including sails, which account for 80 meters. The consortium believes that the wPCC will be ready for its maiden voyage as early as 2024.
