Ocean transport giant returns to wind power on the seas, with a technological twist

• The Toronto Star, 18 July 2005 - Roughly 14,000 years after the ancient Egyptians began using sails to navigate reed boats along the Nile, an Oceanic transport giant from Sweden is betting that the future of modern-day shipping rests on a return to good old-fashioned wind power.
• Stockholm-based Wallenius Wilhelmsen, citing rising prices for diesel fuel and stiffer environmental regulations on the high seas, has designed a concept cargo vessel that could theoretically carry 10,000 cars between continents without the need for fossil fuels.
• Called the Orcelle - named after an endangered species of dolphin - the vessel would be partly powered by three massive sails constructed of lightweight composite material.
• Excess energy from the wave and solar systems would be stored in batteries for later use, or used to create hydrogen for an electric propulsion system powered by advanced fuel cells.
• "When I first saw it I thought it looked like Star Trek Voyager," said Robert Minton-Taylor, a spokesperson for Wallenius Wilhelmsen, which today operates 60 ocean transport vessels, mostly for carrying vehicles for the automotive industry.
• On-board waste on aircraft carriers, cruise ships and other large vessels are heated to such extreme temperatures most common pollutants are burned away.
• The final design was unveiled at the World Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan, and while the company says there are no hard plans to build such a ship today, it believes it could be accomplished by 2025 with solar, wind, wave and fuel-cell technologies already under development.
• The 100-passenger ferry, called the Sydney Solar Sailor, has been quietly operating in Sydney harbour for five years and is profitable, according to the company.
• Both Dane and Hawke have been travelling the world pitching the technology, not just for ferries, but also for much larger cargo ships.