Ship happens

From Little Blog in the Woods

Oil burning ships are filthy filthy dirty. They put out more carbon than the airlines, by quite a bit; and it's way dirtier, to boot.

Since the oil is getting more expensive, it occurred to me to predict (privately alas) that commercial shipping would, in the near future, start going back to sail, and start moving away from oil. Sure, sail is slower. So? Not that hard to put X onto the ship a week earlier.

I predicted, specifically, that the Chinese would be the first- and they'd do it within 3 years.

Wrong, wrong wrong. It was the Germans- and the ship is on the ocean NOW; hauling containers. The "sail" doesn't resemble the old clippers - OF COURSE. I never expected them to go back to square-riggers. We know quite a few new tricks with wind; I expected a radical system.

It's a kite - not a sail. It's THREE TIMES more effective than the old sails. That's huge.
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