Sails Are Romantic But Will Be A Rounding Error In Future Shipping
Ships need energy. The wind has energy. For some, that’s reason enough to believe we’ll return to sail-powered cargo. Not so fast.
As we electrify everything everywhere all at once, some shipping stands out as an exception to directly using electrons. As we’ve explored the space, it’s become clear that bulk shipping tonnage will plummet as fossil fuel use diminishes, all inland and most short sea shipping will be powered by batteries and efficiency will increase, but still, roughly 70 million tons of liquid or gaseous fuels will be required annually.
But if not electrons from batteries, what energy carriers will be used?
This is a journey in and of itself, one I’ve spent a decade on. A.P. Moller Maersk, until recently the largest container shipping firm in the world, has made a bet on green methanol. The ammonia industry is working hard to convince shipping that its carbon-free product should be the fuel of choice. Both have merits and weaknesses, and are already manufactured in volumes of 150 to 170 million tons annually, and shipped in tankers through ports today, making them obvious possibilities.
