85% of container ships that would’ve transited the Red Sea are now going around the southern tip of Africa as of this morning.
The ships diverting from their… | 42 comments on LinkedIn
Cargo ships already run very slowly in order to save fuel. In a storm where the winds are so strong that the ship risks capsizing, the sails can simply be retracted. Also, if the time spent not moving when there is no wind is a concern, sails can be combined with diesel (or even nuclear) propulsion in a hybrid setup.
eeeh, yeah but if you want to effectively use sails, you need to take specific routes with good reliable wind. modern cargo ships can go in a straighter line.
so it’s not as easy as that, but yeah, they should bring back sailships even if that makes the transit times longer
Cargo ships already run very slowly in order to save fuel. In a storm where the winds are so strong that the ship risks capsizing, the sails can simply be retracted. Also, if the time spent not moving when there is no wind is a concern, sails can be combined with diesel (or even nuclear) propulsion in a hybrid setup.
Also see: https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2021/05/how-to-design-a-sailing-ship-for-the-21st-century
eeeh, yeah but if you want to effectively use sails, you need to take specific routes with good reliable wind. modern cargo ships can go in a straighter line.
so it’s not as easy as that, but yeah, they should bring back sailships even if that makes the transit times longer