Wind-powered cargo ship docks in Southampton ahead of sea trials

An experimental wind-powered cargo ship has docked in Southampton, ahead of sea trials.

The Pacific Grebe, a 5,000 tonne vessel, has been fitted with a 20-metre test sail to power the ship across the ocean.

Scientists from the University of Southampton say the design could make large vessels less environmentally damaging by cutting carbon emissions by up to a third.

They are coordinating the controlled sea trials to assess the ship’s performance across different conditions in UK waters.

• The giant sail being winched into place. Credit: University of Southampton

Dr Joseph Banks, from its Marine and Maritime Institute, said shipping emits millions of tons of carbon dioxide each year, or 3% of total greenhouse gas emissions.

He added: “Fitting twenty-first century autonomous sails to commercial ships could immediately reduce energy demands and fuel consumption, lower costs, and, importantly, cut CO2 emissions.

“This technology might be the key component of the challenging transition to zero-carbon shipping.

“By validating our performance prediction tools against real-world sea trial data, we can accurately predict how much fuel this technology could save on bigger vessels and across longer journeys.”

The Department for Transport predicts that up to 40,000 ships could be suitable for wind power. These are mainly tankers and bulkers, which are ships often hidden from public view.

The FastRig test sail aboard the Pacific Grebe was developed by Smart Green Shipping.

Funding was provided by the UK Government as part of plans to transform Britain into a world-leader in clean maritime and green shipping.

Scientists at the University of Southampton have worked for decades on maritime innovations used on ships and yachts worldwide.

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