Imagine a huge ocean-going freighter — being towed by a kite the size of a football field.

That’s what a German company is setting out to do. Beluga Shipping says the MV Beluga SkySails will be towed along by a parachute-like kite a thousand feet above the ship. While the Sky Sails will be equipped with conventional propulsion, designers believe the kite assist will trim fuel consumption by 10 to 15 percent. That adds up, particularly when you consider that the Sky Sails and her future sisters are intended for long haul shipping.

The company which builds the colossal kites is also called Sky Sails. They’re know for fitting private yachts with much smaller sails, but this is their most ambitious project yet. A test vessel, the MS Beaufort, has successfully completed sea trials and is now being used to train crew for Beluga’s windpower fleet.

Beluga hopes their investment in sky sail technology will do more than just save precious fuel. The idea is also to reduce the company’s net emissions of carbon dioxide. The European Union’s drive to cut down on the release of greenhouse gases is perhaps the world’s most stringent set of environmental standards.

If all goes according to plan, Beluga will add several kite-powered ships to its company fleet. Sky Sails hopes to have fitted approximately 1500 ships with kites by the middle of the next decade.

The company has released video of its prototype ship under sail. Beluga hopes to outfit some 1,500 vessels within the next seven years.

Link: Beluga Shipping (via ENN)

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