The Pyxis Ocean, the world's largest hard-sail freighter, set sail from China, equipped with two 37.5m high sails

CTOnews.com, August 22 (Xinhua) A bulk carrier named Pyxis Ocean recently set sail from China to Brazil after being equipped with two "hard sails" up to 37.5m high, making it the largest hard sail freighter in the world, according to BBC.

Each of these WindWing sails consists of three "wings" made of the same material as a wind turbine, one 10 meters wide in the middle and 5 meters wide on both sides. All three wings can rotate independently, while the whole hard sail can rotate together, maximizing the thrust provided by a variety of different winds and wind directions.

According to CTOnews.com enquiries, Pyxis Ocean is from Mitsubishi, Japan, and the modification plan is jointly carried out by BAR Technologies (the design company of hard sail), Yara Marines (renovated shipyard), Mitsubishi (ship owner) and Cargill Cargill (charterer). It is estimated that each WindWing hard sail can save 1.5 tons of heavy oil per day, which not only directly saves a sum of fuel costs, but also greatly reduces carbon emissions.

Depending on the type of ship, fuel and sail design, hard sail technology is estimated to reduce carbon emissions by up to 30%, the report said. The maiden voyage of the modified Pyxis Ocean will sail from China to Brazil, and will collect real-world operation data along the road as a reference for future improvements.