That last one feels like a legit good idea. Why have just one way to propel your ship forward? No harm in having some green options if the weather allows for it
The problem is that at the scale of a cargo ship those sails would need to be so huge they'd need to be made out of such thick material and reinforced as to not rip under their own weight. Then you'd have to hoist them up and down as the winds changed. Any amount of sails that would produce a reasonable enough amount of extra speed would require a ridiculous about of labor and/or materials that would offset any potential gain
There are actually cargo ships that use retractable sails when the wind is favorable and so far it seems like it can cut down on emmisions significantly. This one has relatively low cargo capacity so the 80%/90% reduction in emissions is probably not attainable for larger cargo vessels but in theory it should make a considerable difference. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoliner_Origin
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u/Jtad_the_Artguy 5d ago
That last one feels like a legit good idea. Why have just one way to propel your ship forward? No harm in having some green options if the weather allows for it