06/02/2026
⚡ Modern Sail Systems Could Help Giant Ships Cut Fuel Use and Emissions
A new wave of modern sail technology could help some of the world’s largest ships reduce fuel consumption and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Huge cargo ships such as tankers, container ships, and bulk carriers consume enormous amounts of fuel every day and are responsible for a major share of global maritime emissions. While cleaner fuels like hydrogen and ammonia are being explored, they are still difficult and expensive to deploy on very large vessels. Because of this, researchers and ship operators are revisiting one of humanity’s oldest transportation technologies: sails.
But these are not traditional fabric sails. Modern systems use advanced engineering designs such as rotor sails, wing sails, and suction sails. Rotor sails are giant rotating cylinders that use the Magnus effect to generate forward thrust from wind, while wing sails function similarly to airplane wings mounted vertically on ships. Suction sails add fans that increase pressure differences and improve propulsion efficiency even further.
Researchers at SINTEF and partners in the reSail project are studying how to optimize these wind-assisted propulsion systems for maximum performance. Their research focuses on understanding complex real-world wind behavior around massive ships and sail structures.
One important discovery is that wind behavior around large ships is far more complicated than earlier models assumed. Simplified simulations often fail to account for turbulence, airflow distortion, and interactions between the ship’s body and the sails themselves. Researchers are now using advanced LiDAR systems that measure wind using laser reflections and the Doppler effect to gather more accurate data at sea.
🌐 Visit: https://zengit.com
For more latest news about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, follow Zengit.