OffEvent28 t1_j8nb7mc wrote on February 15, 2023 at 3:58 PM

While the purists might want no engine, that is kind of unrealistic given the need for a ship like this to maneuver into and out of busy modern ports. I suspect getting becalmed in the middle of a busy shipping channel would not be looked upon favorably by the port authorities. Either hire a tug, or start you own engine (which is difficult if you don't have one) and get out of that container ships way.

springlord t1_j8nluay wrote on February 15, 2023 at 5:09 PM

This. As with most initiatives, extremism kills good ideas. Plans for carbon-free solutions that are so impractical to implement, or only in a far future, is a dead end. What we need now is to stop theorizing and take immediate measures to reduce the footprint of the current supply chain, mostly by rationalizing global exchanges (many raw materials are sent from A to B to be transformed/packaged only for the final product to be sent back home to be sold). Further decarbonization can also be reached in a reasonable future by retrofitting current ships with rotor sails to save fuel on windy days without impacting regular operations. The rest is science-fiction, and a waste of time and energy.