German news hub, Spiegel Online has reported that Volkswagen may be exploring the use of the first modern sailing freighter in the world.
This comes as the company licks its wounds following the diesel emissions-test cheating scandal, from which they took a USD 18 million hit to its 2015 results and reportedly slashed its dividend to help pay its actions.
The innovative company that Volkwagen is said to be in discussions with, according to Spiegel Online, is Sailing Cargo. http://www.sailing-cargo.de/
This company’s sail ship concept is called the ‘Ecoliner’. It may be this car carrier concept vessel that Volkswagen has under examination. This would be the first sailing car carrier vessel worldwide.
According to Sail Cargo, the Ecoliner was designed by the leading naval architect Dykstra of the Netherlands and they developed into a prototype in the research centres of Dutch universities. Dykstra started to design the Ecoliner three years ago, according to the Sail Cargo website.
The Ecoliner cargo ship would be equipped with the Dyna-Rig wind assisted propulsion technology, which had been developed by Wilhelm Prölss in the 1960s.
The Ecoliner would also feature a diesel-electric auxiliary engine (electric engine with four diesel generators), fuelled by low-sulphur diesel oil. Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) filters and catalytic devices would also ensure that the engine meets the nitrogen oxide (NOx) limits corresponding to Tier III of MARPOL Annex IV.
Read the original article posted on Spiegel Online here: http://www.spiegel.de/auto/aktuell/volkswagen-will-umweltprobleme-mit-erstem-segelfrachter-der-welt-umschiffen-a-1088281.html
Image: Courtesy of Dykstra
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