The world's first energy-saving very large crude oil carrier (VLCC) aided by wind power was unveiled on Tuesday in Dalian City, northeast China's Liaoning Province, making China the first country to produce such carriers.
The carrier, mainly made by Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co. Ltd, was named New Vitality on the day of its debut.
With a loading capacity of 308,000 tons, New Vitality has already shown exceptional performance during its trial voyage. The two symmetrical wind sails installed on its deck could rise from 20 meters to 40 meters, helping it to battle winds going 180 kilometers per hour.
Such wind sails could also adjust their angles and heights according to ship speed and the direction and speed of wind, maximizing the use of wind power to save energy.
"The ship consumes less oil, and it saved about 4 percent of energy during its trial voyage. The ship consumes thousands of tons of oil, and so 4 percent is a very impressive number," said Liu Weiwu, deputy general manager of China Merchants Energy Shipping Co., Ltd.
While the current shipbuilding market is sluggish, energy-saving carriers have been stealing the spotlight. Since New Vitality is capable of saving about 4 to 7 percent of energy, it is expected to become a rising star.
"The wind sails installed use the air's lifting powers to create pressure difference on two sides of the wind sails. It's analogous to the wings of airplanes, and can make the most of aerodynamics by using winds coming from all directions except those coming head-on 40 degrees," said Peng Guisheng, chief engineer of Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co. Ltd's windsail project.
The shipbuilding company plans to apply such technology in a wider field.
Source:cctvplus
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