Beluga Group has announced that two of its multipurpose heavy lift project carriers, M/V Beluga Fraternity and M/V Beluga Foresight, have successfully transitted the Northeast Passage.  Both vessels reached their destination in Siberia safely on Monday, September 7, after travelling from Ulsan, South Korea in late July.  Now the German-owned ships are poised to complete their journey to Rotterdam with 3,500 tons of construction parts.  President and CEO of Beluga Shipping GmbH, Niels Stolberg, had this to say:

“We are all very proud and delighted to be the first western shipping company which has successfully transited the legendary Northeast-Passage and delivered the sensitive cargo safely through this extraordinarily demanding sea area.  To transit the Northeast-Passage so well and professionally without incidents on the premiere is the result of our extremely accurate preparation as well as the outstanding team work between our attentive captains, our reliable meteorologists and our engaged crew.”

Both vessels had to be escorted by two Russian icebreakers, “50 let Pobedy” and “Rossia”, during portions of their journey which included the East Siberian Sea, the Sannikov Strait and the Vilkizki Strait.

After the successful premiere, Beluga Shipping announced further project journeys through the Northeast-Passage for 2010.

More on this can be found at the Beluga Group website HERE.

Passion focused on a singular goal is often the driver of new ideas and technology. Today the focus for many is on saving our planet from the effects of global warming a goal magnified by a global, bipartisan desire to reduce our dependence on oil. For maritime interests the opportunity to participate in a solution is significant. A recent study by the American Geophysical Union confirms long held beliefs that marine transportation is among the most fuel-efficient methods for moving global resources but simultaneously acknowledges shipping as a significant factor contributing to global climate change. By improving on the efficiencies inherent in ocean transport great opportunity exists for this industry to make a significant and lasting impact on the environment. Leading the way in reducing emissions and fuel consumption is Hamburg based Skysails GmbH.

The innovative idea, in terms of both imaginative thought and probability of home run success, of using kites to tow large commercial ships was conceived by inventor Stephan Wrage. This exciting product finds its origins in the kite surfing community but, unlike its cousin, was not developed in the backyards and garages of enthusiasts for personal enjoyment. Rather the company and its distinguished partners, which include Beluga Shipping and the historic Zeppelin Power Systems, have financial goals and high level government support fueling their goal of incubating the second age of sail.
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In honor of Earth Day, let’s take a look at an archived post on Skysails. But first, here is a brief update into the current state of affairs provided by Skysails:

Within the framework of the pilot phase, the SkySails-System is being explored on board the MS “Michael A.” and the MS “Beluga SkySails” during regular shipping operations. Throughout these trials the system’s level of robustness and reliability is first of all being elevated to that demanded by our customers and its suitability for daily use established. Subsequently the system’s performance will be evaluated extensively and optimized.

On both ships – the “Michael A.” and the “Beluga SkySails” – the SkySails-System has been put into operation successfully. The customer vessels remain in regular commercial operation throughout the pilot phase. Initially, two to three SkySails engineers will be aboard of each ship. All components are being long-term tested during use of the SkySails-System on board. The results immediately flow into the process of improving and optimizing the product. Read full update…

On her maiden voyage, the Beluga SkySails set sail to Venezuela from Bremen on January 22, 2008 and reached the Norwegian port of Mo-I-Rana on March 13, 2008 after travelling a total of 11,952 nautical miles.

Archived post originally posted in Jan. ‘08. [Continue Reading →]

MarineBuzz brings us this amazing photo of the M/V Beluga Gravitation. They also note:

Some of the interesting features of transportation are:

• In the month of August 2008, she sailed from Nantong, China to Rotterdam with three vessel hulls in multi layers.
• A 110 metres vessel hull was placed on top of 135 metres vessel hull. A third hull of 86 metres was placed alongside the other two hulls.
• Safe navigation was provided by an additional radar on the bow as the cargo units were 14 metres high. 

The U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command has recently chartered the M/V Beluga Skysails for over a month long voyage transporting Air Force and Army cargo from Europe to the U.S.  This is the first time the U.S. Navy is using a vessel with the sky sails technology.

The 400 ft. M/V Beluga Skysails is the world’s first cargo ship that uses sky sails technology; a new wind propulsion system with a huge towing kite that provides additional thrust for the ship at sea – a sustainable solution for reducing fuel consumption, costs and emissions.  It is estimated that a sky sail can reduce fuel consumption by 20 to 30 percent, or roughly $1,600 per day.

When asked of MSC’s choice for choosing the M/V Beluga Skysails: “MSC values innovation that leads to cost savings,” said Navy Capt. Nick Holman, commander of Sealift Logistics Command Europe, MSC’s area command for Europe and Africa. “We are proud to be collaborating with innovators in the commercial maritime world to provide our customers with efficient and quality service.” [Continue Reading →]

Discoverer user mateMB has pointed us to news of Beluga shippings Skysails project to cross the atlantic with the use of a kite. In yesterday’s press release Beluga Group tells us;

M/V Beluga SkySails has successfully completed her maiden voyage on Thursday, 13th of March 2008, when finishing a double transatlantic passage after an about 12,000 sea miles long journey. With 8,000 tonnes of general cargo loaded on board, MV ÒBeluga SkySailsÓ safely reached her port of destination in Mo-I-Rana (Norway), having crossed several areas of adverse weather with winds of up to twelve Beaufort beforehand. In the first phase the vessel had shipped modules for a chipboard plant to Venezuela.

During the premiere of commercial operation that started in Bremen on 22nd of January and via Guanta (Venezuela) and Davant (USA) finally led close to the arctic circle, the 160 square meters large towing kite has been released as often as possible to fly for periods of between a few minutes and up to eight consecutive hours. ÒWe can once again actually sail with cargo ships, thus opening a new chapter in the history of commercial shippingÓ, said Lutz Heldt, master of MV Beluga SkySails

Here is video from the voyage:

Stay tuned for more information from California based kite sails developer KiteShip. In the meantime be sure to take a second look at our previous post:

Skysails – Plus Top 10 Green Ship Designs