Maritime sustainability: streamlining and steel sails

In a world where sustainability and environmental friendliness are becoming increasingly important, many industries are searching for innovative ways to reduce their impact on the environment. The maritime sector, historically known for its polluting emissions and environmental impact, is also shifting its focus towards a greener future. One of the developments, for instance, involves smartly utilizing the wind through streamlining and steel sails.

From racing bikes to ships

In recent years, there has been a growing focus on reducing air resistance. How can we smoothly cut through the air? The idea is similar to racing bikes. While a regular bicycle tube is round, a racing bike uses a streamlined air foil profile to minimize resistance. We have applied this concept to ships. Our focus is on creating a clean and practical design, striving for maximum efficiency without compromising the ship’s practical usability.

Smart streamlining

Did you know that adjusting the shape of a ship can result in a fuel saving of five to ten percent? And all this without extra costs! While traditional ships often have a large block where the crew resides, we have found that streamlining this part and the rest of the ship can lead to significant savings. This is an aspect that received little attention until ten years ago. However, thanks to advanced modelling and prediction technologies, we now have the ability to analyse and optimize accurately. So why not take advantage of this opportunity?

Steel sails

Although not every type of ship is suitable for a streamlined superstructure, it is an ideal solution for many general cargo ships. Additionally, we also integrate steel sails on ships. These sails more closely resemble aircraft wings standing upright than a traditional canvas sail and mast. By making these sails rigid, it becomes easier to automate their operation, and allows higher efficiencies to be achieved. In some cases, a technique called boundary layer suction can be used to increase the efficiency of the sail even more by installing a fan inside the sail tower. As designers, we take the aerodynamics of both the sails and the ship into account: in doing so, we ensure that both the sails and the ship can function optimally.

Promising perspective

In addition to fuel savings, steel sails also contribute to reducing CO2 emissions and make ships less dependent on fossil fuels. Smartly harnessing the power of the wind offers a promising perspective for more environmentally friendly navigation and can play a crucial role in promoting sustainability in the shipping industry.