Project plans to build world’s largest sailing cargo ship

Quadriga wind-assisted car carrier

AUGUST 16, 2017 — Classification society Lloyd’s Register (LR) has joined the Quadriga sustainable shipping project, which aims to build the world’s largest sailing cargo ship: a 170m car carrier capable of carrying between 1,700 and 2,000 cars.

The vessel would be equipped with four DynaRig masts — an update on the historic square rigger — and would operate on hybrid propulsion with sails and diesel-electric engines, and an optional battery system for peak loads. The vessel would be capable of sailing at between 10 and 12 knots, with the aim of reaching between 14 and 16 knots in the next few years.

The Quadriga project is an initiative from Hamburg-based Sailing Cargo, the partners in which include Peter Döhle Group and Dykstra Naval Architects.

LR says that wind-assisted propulsion offers one of the few realistic options for introducing renewable power into shipping. The IMO target for CO₂ emissions requires a 50% reduction in global ship-sourced CO2 emissions by 2020, this means significant changes in the industry are required. LR’s Low Carbon Pathways 2050 study found that low carbon ships will need to enter the fleet by 2030 to help achieve this goal.

Uwe Köhler, founder of the Quadriga project, commented: “We must do the right thing for the future of our industry; the Quadriga project combines traditionally proven systems with cutting edge technology and aims to provide a solution to achieving the CO2 emissions reduction target. We are delighted to be working with Lloyd’s Register on this project.”

LR’s Nico Dettmann, Marketing and Sales Manager for Central and Eastern Europe, Marine & Offshore, said: “It’s a very exciting initiative to be involved in. It’s always motivating for us to be involved from the concept stage of any project, especially those that involve innovative technology and new ways of doing things. We have a long history of working with and supporting our clients to bring their new and novel concepts, safely and robustly from inception to operational reality.”

Through consultancy during the design and specification stage followed by onsite new construction supervision, LR will help to ensure the ship’s compliance with the highest technical, safety and environmental standards. On realization of the project, LR will also verify whether the predicted performance parameters have been achieved.