Kickstart: Changes on the waves

There's a new freighter on the ocean, one that is partially powered by the wind. It's not a sailboat, but instead is equipped with composite wind turbines that collect energy from the wind to power its movement.

The Pyxis Ocean was built for shipping company Cargill and uses a turbine system called WindWings, consisting of blades that rotate vertically rather than spinning like a windmill. Cargill hopes the system can reduce fuel consumption by 30 percent.

"The maritime industry is an extremely hard industry to decarbonize," Jan Dieleman, president of Cargill Ocean Transportation, said in a promotional video about the project.

United Kingdom-based Bar Technologies — a company spun off from a 2017 America's Cup racing yacht development team — was tapped for the propulsion system.

The Pyxis Ocean is now sailing from China to Brazil for its first "real world" test of the system.

The ship is going into service during another supply chain crisis related to shipping. The Panama Canal is increasing its limits on passages due to low water levels linked to a continuing drought in the region.

The Panama Canal Authority announced earlier this month that it will allow only 32 vessels per day — down from about 36 per day — and is cutting back on the number of reserved spots available each day. It has also reduced the maximum ship weights allowed, forcing some companies to unload containers prior to entering the canal, Reuters reported.

As a result, more than 100 ships are waiting for spots outside the canal.

"We've had long lineups of ships before," the canal authority said earlier this month. "Despite current limitations and measures taken, demand remains high, hence the increased waiting times."

The backup is adding up to 21 days to shipping times while freight costs are up by at least a third, Reuters added.

Passenger boats that will be featured during the 2024 Olympics in Paris won't be as big as freighters, obviously, but they will still highlight breakthrough technology, including 3D printing.

Holland Shipyards Group, Roboat, 10XL, Transmare CirQlair and Sequana Development are jointly developing boats with a hull made using 3D printing from recycled plastics that will ferry passengers across the Seine during the games.

They will also have electric engines and operate autonomously, our sister paper Sustainable Plastics writes.

The recycled content will come from Umincorp's new facility in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Partners in the program say the material is a "game changer" in additive manufacturing while Leendert Hoogendoorn, director of Holland Shipyards, says the manufacturing by 10XL provides another breakthrough.

"The 3D print build method opens up a new exciting chapter in shipbuilding," Hoogendoorn said.