SkySails

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SkySails

logo
legal form GmbH
founding 2001
Seat Hamburg , GermanyGermanyGermany 
management Stephan Wrage, Stephan Brabeck
Number of employees 100
Branch Wind propulsion systems, wind turbines, software
Website skysails-group.de
Status: July 2020

SkySails is a registered trademark of Hamburg company SkySails GmbH Group for fully automated towing kite , which with the help of wind energy cargo ships and large yachts in addition to pulling motor drive. Ships equipped with this system should be able to be operated more profitably and in a more environmentally friendly manner.

Companies

The SkySails Group GmbH is a consequence of the company in 2001 by Stephan Wrage and Thomas Meyer as a limited liability company founded in Hamburg , SkySails GmbH , which on 15 February 2002. at the Hamburg District Court was entered in the commercial register under HRB 82,712th

The company's headquarters are in Hamburg. In addition, SkySails maintained a test center in Wismar until 2016 .

The marketing of the SkySails system should be carried out by Zeppelin SkySails Service- und Vertriebsges. mbH & Co. KG . This was founded together with Zeppelin Power Systems GmbH und Co. KG , a subsidiary of the Zeppelin Group also based in Hamburg .

Due to the weak economy in 2012, shipping companies did not invest in alternative propulsion systems. Therefore, the company initially had to lay off half of the 80 employees. On March 7, 2016, SkySails GmbH had to file for bankruptcy as part of the SkySails group of companies and was dissolved on April 5, 2016. Since then, the SkySails Group GmbH has been running the business as the successor company without any restrictions.

system

The SkySails system consists of three main components:

  • Towing kite with rope
  • Takeoff and landing system
  • Control system for fully automatic operation

Instead of traditional sails with masts, SkySails generates propulsion by means of large towing kites ( steering mats ), consisting of high-strength and weather-resistant textiles.

The tied flying SkySails can operate at altitudes between 100 and 300 m where stronger and steadier winds prevail. The tensile forces are transmitted to the ship via a highly tear-resistant plastic rope.

The launch and landing system on the forecastle takes over the automatic deployment and retrieval of the towing kite. At the start, the pulling kite, which is gathered like an accordion, is lifted out of a storage container with a telescopic mast. At a sufficient height, the towing kite unfolds to its full size and can be launched. A winch lowers the pull rope until the working altitude is reached. The landing process is reversed. The fully automatic take-off and landing process takes about 10–20 minutes each.

According to the manufacturer, almost all cargo ships (except for large container ships ), super yachts and fishing trawlers can be retrofitted with SkySails technology .

Investigations

prototype
Maartje Theadora with the SkySails launch and landing system (blue) on the bow of the ship (March 2010)

At the University of Applied Sciences in Oldenburg / Ostfriesland / Wilhelmshaven , the use of the system on the former Beaufort buoy was investigated and a performance model was developed. On the 54 m long ship, with which the tests were mostly carried out on the Baltic Sea between July 2006 and the end of 2007 , SkySails towing kites measuring 80 m² were used. The fuel savings could be determined and amounted to approx. 64 l / h at a speed of 12 kn for the 80 m² kite under favorable wind conditions (real aft wind of approx. 6 Bft). For continuous operation under these wind conditions, this corresponds to a consumption reduction of around 20%. With optimal wind conditions (approx. 7–8 Bft from aft), the motor power saved by the towing kite is in the range of 240–400 kW, corresponding to a savings potential of up to 30%.

Tests on the coaster Michael A. with towing kites measuring 160 m² showed, according to a statement by SkySails, that annual fuel savings of 15% appear realistic. This saving would not only be economically but also ecologically significant in view of the fact that global shipping emits sulfur and nitrogen oxides as well as more carbon dioxide than air traffic.

In October 2009 the Dutch fishing company Parlevliet & Van der Plas gave the order to equip the 141 m long fishing vessel ROS-171 Maartje Theadora with a 160 m² SkySails sail and to carry out further tests and, if necessary, adjustments. The SkySails system was dismantled in mid-2012 because it turned out that the kite system is unsuitable for trawling.

Practical test

On December 15, 2007, the motor ship Beluga SkySails of the now insolvent Bremen shipping company Beluga Group was christened in Hamburg. This is the first commercial ship to be equipped with SkySails technology. According to the shipping company , the crew of the Beluga SkySails had trained with the system for a good twelve months before the maiden voyage . After the Beluga Group went bankrupt, the ship was sold to the Briese shipping company . It has been chartered to the subsidiary BBC Chartering on a long-term basis and is now in service as BBC SkySails .

The maiden voyage of the 132 meter long Beluga Skysails began on January 22, 2008 in Bremerhaven and led via Guanta ( Venezuela ) to Davant (Mississippi) to the end point of the voyage to Mo i Rana (Norway) on March 13, 2008, after 11,952  nautical miles , was achieved. During the 51-day journey, the system was used for between a few minutes and eight hours on several days. The SkySails system pulled the ship in a force 5 wind with a pulling force of up to five tons, which corresponds to a relief of over 20% compared to the engine performance.

Fuel saving

The annual fuel savings determined on the occasion of the EU-funded WINTECC life project (duration four years) are around 5.5% on windy routes. This practical value is well below the forecast values, which indicated a fuel saving of 15–20%. After eleven years of research and development, five years of practical testing and an investment volume of around 50 million euros, a total of two ships (as of March 2013) are equipped with the system.

Awards

literature

  • Reinhard Elsner, Michael Schlaak et al. (University of Applied Sciences Oldenburg / Ostfriesland / Wilhelmshaven): Test results of the SkySails system . In: Schiff & Hafen , issue 1/2009, pp. 36–40 u. P. 43. Seehafen-Verlag, Hamburg 2009, ISSN  0938-1643
  • Reinhard Elsner, Michael Schlaak et al. (University of Applied Sciences Oldenburg / Ostfriesland / Wilhelmshaven): Potential savings in the world merchant fleet . In: Schiff & Hafen , issue 6/2009, pp. 74–81. Seehafen-Verlag, Hamburg 2009, ISSN  0938-1643
  • K.-H. High-rise: STG consultation day “Innovative Ships” in Kiel . In: Hansa , Heft 4/2010, pp. 44-47, Schiffahrts-Verlag Hansa, Hamburg 2010, ISSN  0017-7504
  • SkySails starts commercial marketing . In: Schiff & Hafen , Issue 5/2011, p. 36.Seehafen-Verlag, Hamburg 2011, ISSN  0938-1643

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Martin Stepanek: When dragons pull large ships. In: futurezone.at. Futurezone , June 22, 2020, accessed July 20, 2020 .
  2. ↑ WELT online: Use of kites saves fuel at sea from July 4, 2008 , accessed on July 22, 2008
  3. ↑ www.dmkn.de: Test results of the SkySails system  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Schiff & Hafen, January 2009, No. 1, page 40ff, German@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.dmkn.de  
  4. ^ Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships. In: IMO. Retrieved April 1, 2016 .
  5. ↑ Greenhouse gas emissions & shipping. In: Seas at Risk. Archived from the original on March 29, 2015 ; Retrieved April 1, 2016 .
  6. ↑ First fishing trawler is equipped with SkySails. SkySails, October 6, 2009, archived from the original on October 16, 2010 ; Retrieved April 1, 2016 .
  7. ↑ a b from Eckhard Stengel: Lull instead of high flight , DVZ, March 18, 2013 ( memento from December 7, 2013 in the web archive archive.today ) (Google cache), accessed on December 19, 2013
  8. ↑ WELT online: Eva Luise Köhler names the “Beluga SkySails” on December 16, 2007 , accessed on April 26, 2008
  9. ↑ Briese Schifffahrt: BBC Skysails ( Memento of the original from December 19, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.briese.de
  10. ↑ a b www.skysails.info: Maiden voyage of the MV “Beluga SkySails” successfully completed , SkySails press release, March 14, 2008, accessed on July 4, 2008
  11. ↑ project WINTECC final report (3.1) (PDF file, 607 kB) accessed 17 January 2012
  12. ↑ SkySails performance calculation. SkySails, archived from the original on August 16, 2011 ; Retrieved April 1, 2016 .
  13. ↑ BBC Chartering, Main data / Fuel consumption (PDF file; 519 kB) - speed and fuel consumption , accessed on June 5, 2012
  14. ↑ SkySails The Company. Retrieved January 18, 2012
  15. ↑ All award winners since 2008. (No longer available online.) In: GreenTec Awards. Archived from the original on January 26, 2016 ; Retrieved April 1, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.greentec-awards.com
  16. ↑ Skysail's press release ( Memento of the original dated December 30, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. via Red Herring Award @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.skysails.info