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It is estimated that international shipping carbon dioxide emissions reached 706 million metric tonnes in 2023. Since 1990, these annual emissions have roughly doubled – they now account for about 10% of global transportation carbon dioxide emissions.
Now, Southampton researchers are turning the tide on these emission increases by analysing the performance of a retractable 20-metre FastRig test sail, developed by , and retrofitted to the unladen 5,000-tonne cargo carrier, the Pacific Grebe.
Controlled sea trials across different conditions in UK waters have been testing the performance of the test ship, the Pacific Grebe, and the data used to validate predicted fuel savings. The team believes the design could make large vessels less environmentally damaging by cutting carbon emissions by up to a third.
Dr Joseph Banks, from the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute, said shipping is responsible for 3% of total greenhouse gas emissions and that this technology might be the key component of the challenging transition to zero-carbon shipping.
Fitting twenty-first century autonomous sails to commercial ships could immediately reduce energy demands and fuel consumption, lower costs, and, importantly, cut carbon dioxide emissions.
Dr Joseph Banks
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.
Dr Joseph Banks
The Department for Transport predicts that up to 40,000 ships could be suitable for this type of wind power. These are mainly tankers and bulkers, which are ships often hidden from public view but critical to moving metals, grains and building materials.
The UK government provided the funding for the project as part of plans to transform Britain into a world leader in clean maritime and green shipping.
CEO of Smart Green Shipping Di Gilpin said: “We are facing a climate and nature emergency that requires innovation to rapidly reduce greenhouse gases – this is the race of our lives. We need alternative fuels to support global shipping’s transition to zero-emissions, but quality, energy density, availability and cost of these fuels is unknown. There is a simple solution – and that's wind."
Maritime expert Dr Martyn Prince from the University-based ran computer simulations and experiments on the wind propelled ship in the University’s towing tank.
He explained that accurately predicting fuel savings from wind is essential for giving ship owners confidence in investing in the technology. Martyn explains there are wind-assist technologies in development, but few have had their predicted fuel savings independently verified at sea.
Wind power harnessed using well-engineered equipment, and backed by data provided by these predictive tools, offers one of the most effective ways for the sector to reduce emissions.
Dr Martyn Prince, Wolfson Unit
For decades University of Southampton researchers have worked on maritime innovations used on ships and yachts worldwide, using cutting-edge facilities such as its 138m towing tank.
The University is now training the next generation of experts who will tackle the growing global carbon footprint of shipping through its degrees in Maritime Engineering.
