As part of its research and development efforts into alternative technologies and fuels, Hapag-Lloyd is considering the construction of a 4,500 TEU newbuilding vessel that will be propelled by wind.
In particular, Christoph Thiem, Director Strategic Assets Projects, and Martin Köpke, Manager Regulatory Affairs & Sustainability, highlighted in an interview, a concept to use wind-assisted propulsion on container ships, the associated challenges, the pros and cons of using this kind of system, and the various ways they could be put to use.
Christoph Thiem said that R&D isn’t anything new at Hapag-Lloyd. Over the last few decades, the company has done a lot in this field, and we’ve always been an innovative shipping company.
The pressure to innovate has significantly increased in recent years and, with it, the number of employees involved in innovation-related matters. There are also more and more possibilities, such as with fuels. In recent years, the spectrum there has been rather narrow, and it has been more about burning fuel as efficiently as possible.
..added.
According to the company, before motorisation, wind had been the standard means of propulsion in shipping for centuries. Christoph Thiem said that Hapag Lloyd has been working for some time on the issue of wind-assisted ship propulsion and how this could be realised in technical terms. But since this technology isn’t ready for the market yet, we think it’s important to expand our studies on it.
Some shipping companies have come up with concept designs for wind-powered container ships that look very futuristic. But, to me, our designs seem more realistic.
..Martin Köpke added.
According to Christoph Thiem, this concept is a potential newbuilding of a ship with a capacity of 4,500 TEU. The current design envisages eight sails with a total sail area of 3,000 square metres. The six rear sails will be extendable, the two front ones retractable.
As explained, the container ship will mainly be propelled by its engine, and the sail system will only be used to assist propulsion. How much assistance the sail system can provide depends on a number of factors, such as the ship’s speed and the wind conditions. At slow speeds of 8 to 10 knots (15 to 20 km/h) and with the right wind conditions, the ship can also be propelled using just the sail system.
Hapag-Lloyd is investigating other fuels in addition to investigating the viability of alternative technologies on board ships with the goal of reaching net zero by 2045. Fuel supply is still the biggest obstacle, which the business feels cannot be overcome without research and development.
Martin Köpke said: “While our industry aims to achieve net zero by 2050, here at Hapag-Lloyd, we’ve set ourselves the target of doing so by 2045. The challenge right now is fuel availability, and we won’t be able to tackle this challenge without R&D. What will drive us in the years ahead will be new alternative fuels. These aren’t available yet in the needed quantities and will initially be very expensive. That’s why energy efficiency and alternative technologies, such as using wind power to reduce fuel consumption, are important. Succeeding in these efforts will be crucial if we are to achieve our short- and medium-term goals by 2030.”
