Wind propulsion of ships to decarbonize maritime transport

Abstract

The International Maritime Organization and the European Commission are demanding increasingly significant decarbonization efforts from shipowners, and maritime freight should be integrated into the EU emissions trading system. Several technologies exist for sail propulsion: the Flettner rottor, rigid panels made of composite materials, sails and in particular the kite, innovative in this field. Studies show that 3700 to 10700 ships could be equipped with sail propulsion systems by 2030. The release of 3.5 to 7.5 million tonnes of CO2 could thus be avoided in 2030. In this article, the fundamentals of the ship propulsion by the wind are presented: a credible, efficient technological proposition available today to ensure the sustainability of transport.