CARGO SAILBOAT!?!?

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

 

[Subdeacon Joe]

Makes economic sense to at least augment with sail if it doesn't significantly increase the length of time.  

 

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/how-many-gallons-of-fuel-does-a-container-ship-carry

 

https://transportgeography.org/contents/chapter4/transportation-and-energy/fuel-consumption-containerships/

 

 

 

"Most ship engines have been designed for top speeds ranging between 20 and 25 knots per hour, which is between 23 and 28 miles per hour. A Panamax container ship can consume 63,000 gallons of marine fuel per day at that speed.

Fuel use drops sharply as speeds . A container ship can decrease fuel use close to one-third.

Drop speeds so they cut usage to 30,000 gallons per day  And cost drops to $19,000 per day,  but to maintain schedules shipping lines need to add vessels."

 

 

"Example costs by fuel type (as of July 2025) HSFO (High Sulfur Fuel Oil): \(\$474.50\)/mt in Houston.VLSFO (Very Low Sulfur Fuel Oil): \(\$586.00\)/mt in Houston.MGO (Marine Gas Oil): \(\$810.00\)/mt in Houston. Global averages Global Average Bunker Price: \(\$567.00\)/mt.Global 20 Ports Average (VLSFO): \(\$491.00\)/mt."

 

 

 

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

There’s no such thing as “knots per hour”. That’s like saying “3:00 am in the morning”. 1 knot equals 1 nautical mile per hour. These writers need to do their homework. Grrr…

 

Despite the claimed glowing environmental benefits, the bottom line is whether this ship can make money for its owners. I’m betting it doesn’t, due to its cost & operating expenses, and likely has a lot of government money behind it. 

[Chantry]

If the cargo isn't time critical, than they save a lot of money on fuel

[Subdeacon Joe]

3 hours ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said:

There’s no such thing as “knots per hour”. That’s like saying “3:00 am in the morning”. 1 knot equals 1 nautical mile per hour. These writers need to do their homework. Grrr…

 

Despite the claimed glowing environmental benefits, the bottom line is whether this ship can make money for its owners. I’m betting it doesn’t, due to its cost & operating expenses, and likely has a lot of government money behind it. 

 

I agree that 100% sail is an unrealistic goal.  But sail augmentation might be economically feasible. Not on every type of ship, definitely not container ships, unless maybe using kite style sails, which seems overly complex. 

 

But if a shipping company can shave, say $1,000,000 per year per vessel off of fuel costs (that's using the $19,000 fuel per day,  figuring 180 days a year steaming, and pulling a 25% savings out of thin air as a guesstimate), that's a considerable saving.

 

 

ADDED:

I had no idea how many days a year a cargo ship is at sea every year.   All I could quickly find was "15 to 20 days a year in port."

 

 

 

Edited November 3, 2025 by Subdeacon Joe

[Chickasaw Bill SASS #70001]

What is OLD , is NEW again 

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

11 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

I agree that 100% sail is an unrealistic goal.  But sail augmentation might be economically feasible. Not on every type of ship, definitely not container ships, unless maybe using kite style sails, which seems overly complex. 

 

But if a shipping company can shave, say $1,000,000 per year per vessel off of fuel costs (that's using the $19,000 fuel per day,  figuring 180 days a year steaming, and pulling a 25% savings out of thin air as a guesstimate), that's a considerable saving.

 

 

ADDED:

I had no idea how many days a year a cargo ship is at sea every year.   All I could quickly find was "15 to 20 days a year in port."

 

 

 

I suspect it could be longer.  I found ...

Quote

The time it takes to fully load a container ship can vary greatly depending on various factors, but it typically takes several hours to several days or weeks depending on the size of the ship and the cargo.

which i doubt but still is a lot.

[Subdeacon Joe]

39 minutes ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

I suspect it could be longer.  I found ...

which i doubt but still is a lot.

 

Yeah.  That's why I went with 180 days steaming.  Figure at least half the year in transit, the rest in port for cargo, inspection, or repairs. For something like this I'd rather estimate low.