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Will future cargo ships be free of exhaust?

 

My son and I were reading a book Thursday about ships that a cousin had given as a gift. We looked at drawings of engine rooms and sleeping quarters.

But in the back of the book, I spotted a rendition of a sleek, futuristic-looking ship with an intriguing design. It turned out to be the Orcelle, a concept cargo ship of the future.

It might take until 2025 for the ship or a version of it - which could carry 10,000 cars from continent to continent – to make it to the ocean. But it apparently would be an emission-free ship.

I was amazed.

It would use solar energy captured on panels on rigid sails, wind power and motion from the waves. It would carry a “hydrogen-driven fuel system to create electricity” for propulsion, according to a description.

It apparently would be free of ballast water, which many have dubbed as a threat to oceans.

I’m neither an environmental specialist nor am I an engineer.

My one quick thought: Wallenius Wilhelmsen – the company behind the concept ship – actually believes it is possible and has been working on it since 2004.

 

 

The ship’s ability to carry 50 percent more cars than standard vessels is noteworthy, as is its cargo deck storage area which is equal to an estimated 14 football fields.

In 2005, the company chief executive, Nils Dyvik, was quoted in an Environment News Service article as saying:

While futuristic in its concept we believe that E/S Orcelle represents the achievable goal of building a zero emission cargo ship.

It’s another reminder to people, especially in the United States, that the future is coming - especially with electric- and solar-powered cars.

I know that can be a bit difficult to hear as the country grapples with emerging from a recession and dealing with the fact that employment often lags behind economic growth.

The Scandinavian company has posted details about its ship, which is named after the vulnerable Irrawaddy dolphin and technically goes by ”E/S Orcelle.” The E/S stands for environmentally-sound ship.

It also included one key question that I never considered but was glad to learn:

What if car manufacturers could extend the range of the environmental friendliness of their operations to include the entire supply chain – from factory production through delivery to dealers and onwards to consumers? 

Over the years, I have visited seaports in the Seattle area, the San Francisco Bay Area and Vancouver, B.C.

I was at the ports to see how they operated for my work as a journalist. Other times, I just wanted to see big ships.

Once, around 2004 or 2005, when the imports from Asia were driving massive growth at West Coast ports, I heard of talk of how cargo ships might actually get larger to carry more good that were in demand. 

At seaports, it’s easy to gaze at the hulking vessels, huge cargo cranes that remind you of Land Walkers from a Star Wars movie and shipping boxes that are often referred to as cans.

It’s easy just to think of the supply chain and the economic ties involving overseas factories, including ones in Asia, seaports, rail transportation, short-haul trucks, retail shops and a product’s final destination.

But I’m certainly glad that a company is trying to advance the clean technology that many in the United States and world are embracing - with hybrid or fully-electric cars – in the area of cargo transportation.

Will it work?

Does the company have enough money to support its venture?

I don’t know those answers.

In 2005, Dyvik told Environment News Service that the company hopes to use parts of the overall ship design:

Although a carrier like this will never be built in entirety, we hope to see its elements in future vessels.

Recently, I wrote about modern boat design, including vessels that have been built.

I suppose the Orcelle is a very likely possibility – or elements of the sleek, dolphin-like ship.

At the least, this company is making a go of it. There is always the possibility of the design remaining a nice picture on a sophisticated computer.

But humans have made incredible inventions before.

A sign in Oakland, Calif. reminded me of the economic times when Bill Gates launched Microsoft.

A visit to The Museum of Flight in the Seattle area reminded me that the Aerocar – that’s right, a flying car – never went into mass production.

But humans have had the wherewithal to make a pedal-powered aircraft – in fact, two of them. One soared in the sky for about three hours over the English Channel.

The other one, which is on display at The Museum of Flight, was airborne in the Astrodome. 

I’m glad my cousin gave us that book about ships and that my son and I flipped it open this week.

The next time my son and I draw for fun, I think I’m going to make a rendition of the Orcelle for him.