Videos: Skysail debuts on world’s first commercial merchant ship to use kite power
December 18th, 2007 . by Lascelles Linton
Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Transportation Alternatives
The Skysail, a giant kite used to help propel ships, has made its debut as you can see in the Reuters video above. MV Beluga Skysail is the world's first cargo ship to use the Skysail and the ship will make its maiden voyage in early 2008 from Germany to Venezuela. The Skysail is 400 feet long and the kite can rise 100 yards into the sky, controlled by a computer system. The system costs $725,600 but it pays for itself in a few years because it saves 20 percent in fuel (about $1,600 a day). Below the fold is another video of the Skysail in action.
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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.