Agri-products multinational Cargill has signed an agreement with Greek ship-owner/manager Anbros Maritime to install the world's largest kite on its 'Aghia Marina' dry-bulk cargo vessel, in a bid to harness wind power to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A 320 square metre kite installed on the 'Aghia Marina' will fly ahead of the vessel and generate enough propulsion to reduce fuel consumption by up to 35 percent in ideal sailing conditions.
Built in 1994, the 170-metre 'Aghia Marina' typically transports agricultural and industrial raw materials and has a service speed of up to 14 knots. The long carrier can carry about 28,500 tonnes of dry-bulk cargoes, making it the largest vessel to use the wind power technology created by Hamburg-based SkySails. Last February, Cargill announced it had signed a supply agreement with SkySails, and now Anbros has now joined in the development and testing of the technology. The kite will be installed in the first quarter of 2012, and the system will be fully up and running in a matter of weeks thereafter.
For the next five years the 'Aghia Marina', which Cargill has on long-term charter from Anbros, will use the SkySails system. SkySails will be responsible for training the ship's crew on how to operate the kite propulsion. The SkySails towing kite will be connected to the ship by rope and will fly in a figure-of-eight formation at a height of between 100 and 420 metres. It is computer-controlled by an automatic pod to maximise wind benefits.