As innovators look for ways to further reduce the carbon footprint and create greener vessels using renewable technology in the future, it has been announced that Quadriga, an innovative sustainable shipping project from Hamburg based Sailing Cargo, aims to become the world’s biggest sailing cargo ship. It seems as if time goes in a full circle as developers look to significantly harness wind power once again and match it with ships.
The project outlines a plan to build a 170 metre car carrier, capable of carrying between 1,700 and 2,000 cars, which will be equipped with four DynaRig masts and will operate on hybrid propulsion with sails and diesel-electric engines, and an optional battery system for peak loads. The vessel will be capable of sailing at 10-12 knots with the aim of reaching 14-16 knots in the next few years through combined expertise.
Wind-assisted propulsion offers one of the few realistic options for introducing renewable power into shipping, says Lloyd’s Register (LR), which has just joined the project. The IMO target for CO2 emissions requires a 50 percent reduction in global ship-sourced CO2 emissions by 2050. This means significant changes in the industry are required. LR’s Low Carbon Pathways 2050 study found that low carbon ships will need to enter the fleet by 2030 to help achieve this goal.
The big question is whether the technology will be available on the scale needed to achieve the level of reduction required. The consensus is that engineering advances alone and the associated efficiency gains will simply not be enough to meet the IMO target. Fuels will have to change, and the Quadriga project provides one of the potential viable alternative solutions.
Through consultancy during the design and specification stage followed by onsite new construction supervision, LR will help to ensure compliance with technical, safety and environmental standards. LR will also verify whether the predicted performance parameters have been achieved.
