Zero-emission freight forwarding – the old-fashioned way

Hello Decarbonization

Is the future of the shipping industry confusingly similar to the past? Maybe. The industry certainly faces major challenges in going green. Globally, Shipping accounts for 3% of greenhouse gas emissions – But decarbonizing shipping is a huge challenge and a bigger problem than you might think, as giant merchant ships have long relied on highly polluting bunker fuels.

to 90% of goods are transported by ship And as demand grows, the potential climate impact of shipping will only grow in the future, unless cleaner fuels and zero-emission technologies emerge as suitable alternatives.

One hurdle is scale. De Tucker can carry up to about 80 tons of cargo, but she looks utterly dwarfed by the over 200,000 tons that the largest container ships can carry. But Langeran said it has received interest from companies looking to reduce their carbon footprint and take advantage of zero-emission transportation. For example, some construction companies are under pressure to cut emissions, so he said several construction companies have been in touch recently.

Langeran points out that the De Tucker is not only a zero-emissions vessel, but also so quiet that it poses virtually no danger. Noise pollution known to adversely affect marine life. This ship actually has an engine, but the crew rarely uses it. The ship travels at about half the speed normally reached by large modern merchant ships.

Over the next few years, Langeran and colleagues hope to deploy an entire fleet of newly built sailing ships based on designs inspired by classic Dutch freighters.Clipper ships – among them famous cutty sark – Fine-tuned over years of ocean development, Langeran points out.

“We don’t really have the resources to do a lot of R&D, so we just take and use what works,” he explains. EcoClipper Prototype 500 Ship Conceptthe cargo capacity will be 500 tons.

Langeran already has Dutch shipyards in mind, saying the first of these new ships could be built, but added that the project requires investment. He envisages launching a new Clipper-type ship as early as 2026, if realized.

sail is back

For Joe Banks, Lecturer in Naval Science and Maritime Engineering at the University of Southampton, the EcoClipper approach is certainly a passion. “Those historic ships were beautiful, they had a nostalgia and a romanticism,” he says.

But the most notable, he argues, is the existing megamerchant fleet. Shipping companies can reduce their climate impact by: Add a miniature sail again kite Allows the ship to take advantage of the wind. Automation also helps make them as efficient as possible, he added.

“My intuition is that if we consider installing modern automated systems on existing vessels, we might have a greater impact,” says Banks.

He and his colleagues at the University of Southampton will embark on a project to test its effectiveness. Added a 20m high retractable sail to the cargo ship It is called grebe and has been used for many years. to transport nuclear waste.

While EcoClipper could still perform an important function of highlighting the benefits of shipping cargo under sail, Banks argues: […] There is value in raising awareness and demonstrating its benefits. ”

Langeran also makes another point. One of his ways to reduce emissions is simply to reduce transportation and human impact on the planet as a whole. “I myself should not say this as a shipowner,” he quips.

So far, de Tucker is doing well and has a busy schedule. Langeran lists various places to visit in the coming weeks, including England, France and again Holland. From Tall Boat Festivals to Stacking Construction Materials.

“And then it starts again,” he said, with the air of another burly old sailor. “The ship will always sail.”