Giant Ship-Dragging Kites Head for Sea Trials

Seawing, a 500-square meter parafoil kite developed by Airseas, is designed to cut carbon emissions from waterborne shipping vessels by harnessing “free and unlimited” wind energy. Airseas’ website doesn’t say exactly how much fuel consumption Seawing can negate, but a larger version (clocking in at 1000 square meters) can cut consumption and emissions by up to 40 percent.

Beginning in 2022, Seawing will find itself aboard the Ville de Bordeaux, a 154-meter ship responsible for carrying aircraft components for Airbus SE. Seawing will assist the Ville de Bordeaux in journeys across the Atlantic Ocean over six months of testing and trials, after which it will be fully deployed across a fleet of roll-on/roll-off (RO-RO) cargo ships. Thanks to Seawing, Airbus will be able to reduce its carbon emissions by 8,000 tons per year.

“We are very proud that Airbus has confirmed its confidence in the SeaWing system after seeing our test results first-hand on their own ship,” Airbus CEO Vincent Bernatets said in a press release. “This first RO-RO vessel installation opens the way for further pioneering deals on container ships, bulkers and ferries. We are glad we can start helping our customers to reduce ship emissions in order to preserve the environment.”

Airseas says its technology suits “virtually all” vessel types and can be installed with little training in just a few days. Seawing’s kite component connects to ships using just a flight control pod and an umbilical cable. The umbilical cable handles traction, transfers data (inertial unit, GPS, anemometer, and so on) and provides power to the control pod, while the pod steers the kite to ensure safety and maximum efficiency. The control pod keeps the kite at an altitude of at least 200 meters, allowing it to utilize stronger and steadier winds. This level of control allows the unit to generate 10 times as much traction power as a static kite of similar stature.

Climate goals outlined in the Paris Agreement, as well as major freight customers’ desire to reduce their supply chains’ impact on the planet, have put pressure on the industry to think more carefully about how it moves freight across land, sky, and sea. The ways in which we choose to move literal tons of material around the world has major environmental implications, and the shipping industry may finally be taking this to heart.