DHL Delivers via Kite-powered Cargo Ship

Global DHL delivered 71 containers from Germany to Venezuela with the kite-powered MS Beluga Skysails cargo vessel last week, according to ENN. Tapping the wind power across the oceans allowed the ship to travel faster or decrease fuel consumption by 20%.

And the successful voyage is just in time to counter the criticism against the shipping industry for green house gas emissions:

(From ENN)The maiden voyage was completed at a time when ship-related greenhouse gas emissions are under fire from several fronts. Earlier this week, a report commissioned by the U.N. International Maritime Organization surfaced, finding that ship-related emissions, at 3.5 percent of global carbon emissions, were grossly underestimated and nearly double than previous estimates of 1.4 percent.

Read more on the shipping industry’s environmental impact at DHL Completes More Eco-Friendly Ship Voyage as Industry Comes Under Fire. And see the ship set sail from Hamburg at Using Kites to Pull Cargo Ships Across the Seas.