Project phases
Description of the individual development phases:
Phase 1 - Preparation of the cargo vessel
The first phase focuses on the objective to identify the ship-specific requirements which are necessary for the construction and installation of the kite system. The cargo vessel needs to be partly modified to allow the installation of the SkySails system. At the end of this task the multipurpose heavy lift project carrier is ready for installation of the towing kite system and the seastate control system WaMoS II.
Phase 2 - Installation of the kite system and WaMoS II
During the second phase the prototype of the towing kite system as well as the implementation of WaMoS II is installed on the vessel. The adapted ship and installed technology are tested, approved and validated by a classification society and government safety organisation.
Phase 3 - Demonstration of the voyages and measurements
The third phase concentrates on organising and undertaking 12 demonstration voyages mainly during the regular operation in order to test the feasibility, durability, profitability and reliability of the towing kite system. The objective is to collect exact data for the calculation of energy savings and greenhouse gas reduction.
Another important goal of this phase is to detect, measure, and record the sea state surroundings of the cargo ship as well as the ship’s movements obtained by motion sensors over the entire measurement time period. By comparing these different data sets the influence of the kite system on the ship’s movements can be evaluated.
Phase 4 - Analyses, interpretation and documentation
The fourth phase focuses on analysing and summarizing of the results of the 12 demonstration voyages. During this phase the energy and CO2 savings will be calculated. Furthermore profitability, possible influences between hull and kite system as well as effects on specific environmental parameters will be analysed.
Phase 5 - Public relation
In the fifth and final phase the project results will be published. It should deliver the evidence that the towing kite technology functions under different conditions (loading, weather, temperatures). The dissemination of the functionality of the kite technology within this project is therefore essential for market entry.
A further objective is to bring the technology into scientific discussion in order to realise possible optimisation potential and to transfer technology parts (e.g. control system) to other industry sectors.
