Sailing cargo ships in 2021

By 2021, there were five companies in the quest for more sustainable ways of shipping, sailing ships and carrying cargo in the traditional way. Although they are an oddity at the moment, there is growing interest when we see the damage being done to our world with modern shipping methods.

One of the last commercial sailing freighter, the Pamir was a four-masted German barque that rounded Cape Horn for the last time in 1949. By 1957, she outperformed modern bulk carriers and could not operate profitably. Finally, on 21 September 1957, she was caught in Hurricane Carrie and sank off the Azores, with only six survivors rescued after an extensive search.

Since then, diesel has dominated the shipping industry, and while it has become an efficient means of transport, it is also a huge polluter. Although there are new regulations and sulphur emissions are being reduced, much research is being done to find alternative fuels and ways to transport things.

Seeking wind power again
Wind-powered vessels have worked and have been a proven way of transporting things without emissions. So if we change our expectations a bit and plan for the long term, we could use sailing vessels again. While not an easy solution and currently only a niche market, with advanced weather forecasting there are aspects that will be much easier than sailing 100 years ago.

This article discusses 5 sustainable shipping companies:

• Timbercoast
• Grain de Sail
• Fairtransport
• Greyhounds Ventures
• Sailcargo

There are also several companies, especially from France, operating in the sailing cargo business. And there are several developments on the way. For that, continue to follow the Sailing Mail.

Read the entire article at source: Designed Conscious

Image: the newly built aluminium Grain de Sail