Shipping pollutes the atmosphere with pollutants and CO2. Michelin sails are designed to help save fuel. The natural additional drive can even be retrofitted.
Michelin is mostly associated with tires and a gourmet guide. In fact, it is a broad-based technology group that is repositioning itself in times of climate change. This includes a strong commitment to the future technology hydrogen, and Michelin wants to reduce emissions from shipping.
And that should be done with innovative high-tech sails. The freighters should not be driven by the wind alone; the sails serve as an additional auxiliary drive, which makes it possible to run the conventional machines with only a light load. It is far easier to build and operate such a hybrid ship than a sailor-only ship.
The Wing Sail Mobility (WISAMO) project uses an inflatable sail that unfolds and can be retracted quickly. The whole thing is a joint project between Michelin R&D and two Swiss inventors. The automated sail can be folded like an accordion when not in use. A telescopic mast extends at the push of a button and the sail is inflated using an air compressor. It is a kind of huge air mattress shaped like a standing wing. Today it is inevitable that the sails can disappear. Otherwise the height of the ships would be too great to be able to call at many ports.
Thought as additional sails
Used individually or in groups, the sails advance the ship. Consumption should drop by 10 to 20 percent, according to Michelin. The wing sail should be able to withstand stormy conditions. It can be retracted quickly in a strong storm.
First of all, the sail is to be tested with a boat. “The advantage of wind propulsion is that wind energy is clean, free, universal and completely undisputed,” said Michel Desjoyaux, world-famous skipper and ambassador for the project. Trials on a cargo ship are to follow in 2022. The WISAMO sail is constructed in such a way that it can be used on almost all types of ships. As a special feature, it can also be retrofitted to ships that have already been built.
Compared to the Norwegian only sailor Oceanbird, ships equipped in this way can be used on all routes and they can reach the same speed as ships that are powered by an engine. Whether this and other climate-friendly projects will succeed depends largely on the legislation. At the moment, all sailing projects are dependent on goodwill, because only in terms of costs they do not pay off. Fuel for ships is not taxed and is therefore comparatively cheap. For this purpose, cheap heavy fuel oil is burned, which otherwise can hardly be sold.
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