New Zealand Ship to Harness Wind Power

Published Dec 19, 2013 1:43 PM by The Maritime Executive

Photo: A barge leaves the landing ramp in Nukunono to collect cargo and passengers from the current MV Tokelau.

A new passenger ship, that will likely be equipped with marine kites to harness wind power, is in the works for the New Zealand territory of Tokelau.

The ship will have capacity for 60 passengers and some cargo to meet the daily needs of the locals. Plans are for the ship to be built by December 2014, followed by sea trials and a delivery voyage ready to start service in the first quarter of 2015.

Jonathan Kinds, the administrator of Tokelau, stated that the community have had a major say in the design of the purpose built vessel which will travel to and from Samoa 365 days of the year. With the only access to Tokelau by sea, and the old vessel, MV Tokelau reaching the end of its working life, the new wind powered ship couldn’t come sooner.

Kinds commented “We are looking at the possibility of using marine kites, that's being tested at the moment and it really depends on whether or not it's feasible. But if feasible that is an exciting development, they're made by North Sails in Auckland and they assist the efficiency of the vessel by in effect dragging the vessel along.”

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Source: http://fathom-ctech.com/