A quiet revolution is taking place far from city streets and highways, out at sea. As governments and industries race to cut emissions, one cargo vessel is demonstrating that dramatic fuel savings are possible without switching to batteries or alternative fuels. Meet the Pyxis Ocean — a ship that is reshaping expectations about clean propulsion in maritime transport and challenging long-held assumptions about how cargo must move across the world.
A new era of clean propulsion for global shipping may arrive sooner than expected
The world has been forced to deal with the inevitable consequences of our reliance on conventional energy that has devastated the climate, leading to a surge in climate disasters around the globe. While the energy industry is a major contributor to emissions, the maritime transport sector also plays a part in emissions. It has become a top priority for the maritime industry to develop a new form of innovative propulsion.
The obvious answer to our collective climate situation is to develop an alternative propulsion system for the maritime industry. The challenge comes in how to innovate the sector and develop a new form of propulsion that does not burn as much fuel as conventional methods. The answer may come from an unexpected source that has recently spent the best part of the past few years testing the new and astonishing propulsion method.
Meet Pyxis Ocean, the “Tesla of the seas”
Cargill has recently revealed the results of an extensive test conducted that saw the MC Shipping Kamsarmax vessel retrofitted with large solid wind sails developed by BAR Technologies, known as WindWings. The new WindWings enable a vessel to drastically reduce the amount of fuel used, enabling the shipping industry to take advantage of the winds that blow through the oceans of our world.
WindWings can save substantial amounts of fuel for the shipping industry
The WindWings work by installing massive vertical wind sails on a vessel that automatically deploy at the right moments for a large vessel to reduce the amount of fuel burned as it makes its journey over the oceans. The Pyxis Ocean vessel saved an astonishing 3 tons of fuel on average during the testing of the new WindWings, paving the way for the technology to be deployed on other vessels as well.
The world has been developing amazing, innovative technology that enables propulsion without the need to rely on conventional fuel resources. The 37,5 meter wings are fitted vertically and enable the vessel to drastically reduce the fuel burnt on an average trip.
“The results of the Pyxis Ocean’s first voyage with WindWings® installed clearly demonstrate that wind assisted propulsion can secure significant fuel savings and emissions reduction. For example, in near optimum sailing conditions, during an open sea voyage, the Pyxis Ocean achieved fuel savings of 11 tonnes per day. With Cargill, we are now able to validate our performance predictions and modelling in real-world conditions, it’s an exciting time as we begin to roll out WindWings® production globally.” – John Cooper, BAR Technologies CEO
The crew of the Pyxis Ocean praised the new WindWings
Notably, the crew of the Pyxis Ocean stated that they had full control from a small device on the ship’s bridge that controlled the WindWings while in transit. With gas prices skyrocketing around the world, the need to develop more propulsion technology that does not rely on conventional energy resources has become a top priority for the world’s maritime companies. Thankfully, the Pyxis Ocean has opened the door to a new era of maritime transport that will reshape the global market.