Dutch cargo company EcoClipper has released a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), which examines the impact of their proposed sailing vessel in the transport industry. The study showed that the environmental and human health impact of the EcoClipper500 is significantly lower than conventional shipping methods.
The study was carried out by EcoClipper’s specialists and environmental scientist Andrew Simons, co-founder of 3SP and Sailink.
By commissioning an LCA at such an early stage, the EcoClipper project has not only acknowledged the environmental consequences of human actions, but enabled life cycle considerations to be factored into the design process whilst supporting investors and eventually customers in their decisions to participate. This makes for very progressive business sense,
…said Andrew Simons.
The LCA proves that the expected carbon emissions from the EcoClipper500, along with its construction, maintenance methods, and life cycle, represent an appealing alternative for transporting goods, as well as for traveling via sailing ship.
For instance, according to the study, an EcoClipper vessel will produce 80% less emissions than a container ship over its lifetime, when both are carrying the same cargo tonnage. This is predominantly due to the use of renewable energy on an EcoClipper ship, rather than HFO.
The study also describes how the chosen design of the vessel along with its operation management will contribute to an environmentally friendly, low emission life cycle.
The report comes at a time when pressure mounts on shipping to go greener and wind propulsion is seen as an attractive solution for shipping to achieve its decarbonization goals.
Alternative propulsion methods are now being tested including wind-assist and eco-fuels, but lobby groups argue not enough is being done.
In early 2020, Comoros flag submitted a wind propulsion information paper to IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 75), stressing that wind propulsion, as one of the leading decarbonization technologies at the moment, is receiving very limited consideration in the critical debate of the future of shipping.
