Reinventing The Wheel.

[sandyRoe]

A ship with 'sails' to help reduce it's carbon footprint has just set sail on a voyage from Singapore to Brazil.
Nothing new under the sun, what?

[Canary42]

Debatable whether it will be more efficient than just good old-fashioned sail (like the old wind-jammers). Less dangerous for the crew I guess.

[Atheist]

Excellent idea. As would be lighter-than-air craft and barges carrying heavy loads along waterways. All damaged by the need for speed at any cost. Sadly, 'any cost' implies terrible damage to the planet.

[Canary42]

https://uk.yahoo.com/style/world-first-wind-powered-tanker-070000206.html

[naomi24]

I saw something a couple of weeks ago about returning to sailing ships. Just impractical. It’ll never work.

Canary, I’m delighted to see you back.

[Atheist]

Naomi; Why won't it work?

[Hopkirk]

When is that airship going to enter service?

[naomi24]

Too slow.

[Hopkirk]

https://www.hybridairvehicles.com/our-aircraft/airlander-10/

[Canary42]

I guess it's good to see them trying to upgrade old technology, but after all there was a good reason [i why it was phased out in the first place ] .

What next ?

Genetically modified horses with 8 legs :-) :-) :-) --- like the farmer with 4 kids who bred chickens with 6 legs so the family could have a leg apiece, but then couldn't catch them :-D

Ooops, going off thread a bit - Soz.

[Hopkirk]

Some of the earliest cars were electric powered.

[youngmafbog]

Pointless virtue signalling.

//Sadly, 'any cost' implies terrible damage to the planet.//

Garbage. Your vegan fruit and veg would be well off by the time it sailed from South America.

[sandyRoe]

The sails reduce the cost of the voyage and the ships carbon footprint. There are no suggestions that future cargo ships will be entirely powered by sails.
If the prevailing winds in the Pacific allow it there's no reason why sail assisted ships couldn't carry much of China's exporters to the Americas.

[Old_Geezer]

Should've used solar panels and a couple of windmills.

[Khandro]

I seem to remember as a boy making self propelled little boats using mothballs or camphor or something, anyone remember or know?

[Atheist]

YMF;
Vegan's got nothing to do with the issue. I'm not vegan, and I always try to buy fresh produce which is grown as close as possible to where I live.

[Hazi-Hammenuhoth]

You can't stand in the way of progress :)

[sandyRoe]

Well, not if progress is embodied in a ship with sails. Few in history have managed to walk on water.

[douglas9401]

Not to pooh-pooh the OP but if it was reinventing the wheel would it not be more like a paddle steamer?

Revolutionary.

[Hopkirk]

I don't think the idea is a purely sail powered shop, just use of the wind to reduce fuel consumption when possible. I wish them success.
Apparently ships use some of the dirtiest fuel available because Sadiq Khan and the like aren't able to regulate in international waters.

[Atheist]

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/08/22/travel/wind-powered-cargo-ship-cargill-bartech-climate-c2e-spc-intl/index.html