Thordon Bearings, a designer and manufacturer of journal bearing and seal systems for the marine, renewable energy production, pump, and other industrial sectors, is providing its grease-free, self-lubricating ThorPlas-Blue bearing material to an innovative containerised wind propulsion system that is intended to decrease fuel usage and fossil fuel pollution across all commercial ship types.
According to the statement, the rigid sail system, developed by entrepreneurs Miles Keeney-Ritchie and Satchel Douglas, co-founders of Boston, Massachusetts, US-based start-up Aloft Systems, is a rigid aluminium and composite airfoil housed in a 16m shipping container that deploys automatically when the wind is strong enough to propel the vessel along.
Thordon Bearings said it wants to improve weather conditions with four ThorPlas-Blue bearings machined and fitted on a ¼ scale prototype, allowing the sails to fold, revolve 360 degrees, and pivot.
Furthermore, Thordon will furnish the material for full-scale modules once the entrepreneurs agree with a ship owner to test the system.
In addition, two Aloft sail units, each with a set of 15 meters long, 3 meters broad foldable sails, can decrease fuel usage and pollution by at least 6% at maximum size.
Aloft Systems is now actively working with vessel owners to try a full-scale version on an ocean-going pilot vessel after successfully demonstrating the technology on land with a ¼ scale prototype.
“The goal is not to replace the ship’s existing propulsion system, rather reduce the reliance on fossil fuels and help shipowners meet their emissions targets without taking vessels out of service to do so,” commented entrepreneur Miles Keeney-Ritchie.
