Each year, over a billion tons of CO2 are emitted by cargo ships plying their trade around the world. But Andreas Lackner, a professional sailor born in landlocked Austria, has come up with a more environmentally friendly way to transport goods: tall ships. Powered by the wind and innovative software, the vessels envisioned by Lackner and colleagues Arjen van der Veen and Jorne Langelaan from Dutch ship design company Dykstra will be large enough to carry dozens of industrial containers. The prototype ship, Tres Hombres, has been on the high seas since December 2009 and is already delivering cargo to destinations in Europe and the Caribbean.
But, even with the latest technology, it won’t all be plain sailing. Piloting a tall ship is a dying art, so crews will need to be trained. Another obstacle will be the ‘just in time’ mentality of big businesses, for whom delivery dates dependent on a fair wind may not be acceptable. Lackner, however, is optimistic. ‘We see Tres Hombres as the ambassador, of sorts, for the concept of Fair Transport,’ he says.
