Smart Green Shipping Alliance partners with Drax and Ultrabulk for sail-powered bulker project

UK-based Drax Group is partnering with the Smart Green Shipping Alliance (SGSA), dry bulk cargo transporter Ultrabulk, and Humphreys Yacht Design on a carbon dioxide emission reduction feasibility project.

The £100,000 (US$127,811) 12-month feasibility study funded by InnovateUK, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), and private investors has begun with the goal of examining the potential of fitting an innovative sail technology called Fastrig onto Ultrabulk ships importing biomass into the UK.

The first six months of the project will be a technical feasibility study, establishing the mechanical parameters for retrofitting the Fastrig solution onto ships. The next six months will focus on putting together a business case and calculating detailed costings for the project.

The aim is to retrofit a ship with the Fastrig technology. Depending on the outcome of the feasibility study, the launch of the commercial demonstrator could be done as early as 2021.