Ship sets sail with wind-powered mast to cut emissions

A pioneering rigid shipping mast has set off on its first journey, harnessing the wind to propel a cargo ship from England to Canada and using less fuel to help reduce emissions.

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After a night of work and a short nap, George Thompson, the founder of GT Wings – the start-up that produced this 20m-high mast – was back on the ship's main deck.

"We haven't had much sleep over the last few days," Thompson said, as he looked out onto the shipyard workers still making adjustments a few hours before departure.

"This is very high-tech," said GT Wings product manager Martin Harrop, pointing to the imposing white and red structure on the bow of the cargo ship in Hull, northeastern England.

Like several other wind propulsion systems, this one works like a vertical aeroplane wing. It harnesses the wind that hits its surface to propel the ship. However, its internal fans set it apart. They accelerate the air passing through it to speed up the ship," Harrop explained.