Cargill, one of the largest providers of bulk agricultural commodities and services, has announced that one of its oceangoing vessels will be the largest of its kind outfitted with a kite for wind propulsion.
The giant agri-marketer has signed an agreement with SkySails GmbH of Hamburg, Germany, to install a 320-square-meter kite system in December on a handysize vessel of 25,000 to 30,000 deadweight tons that the company operates under a long-term charter. Handysize vessels are more maneuverable and have shallower draft than larger vessels, and make up the majority of the world's oceangoing cargo fleet.
Cargill, based in Minneapolis, Minn., said the sail could generate enough power to reduce consumption of bunker fuel by up to 35 percent in ideal sailing conditions, and that it is part of a corporate effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
