Bluewater Engineering is developing the SKYTUG concept; a means of providing wind propulsion to the ocean cargo shipping sector at a scale never before seen. SKYTUG will provide a towing service to existing and new ships, deploying a vast array of wind power in the form of kites, to tow large ships across oceans at normal service speeds with only a fraction of their usual fuel consumption.

Our patent pending technologies will enable the largest kite arrays ever seen to be deployed controllably and channel masses of zero-carbon wind energy into the movement of essential goods around the world.

The encapsulation of the wind propulsion technology aboard a tug, rather than aboard ship, gives freedom to design and space to operate, carrying large amounts of kite area sufficient to tow heavily loaded bulk and tanker ships. It also offers a simple, attractive solution for ship operators: no modifications, no installations, no maintenance, no specialist crew, no downtime and no capex. Just towing, a familiar operation, and no extra costs.

This project will develop and assess the feasibility of the key elements of the SKYTUG concept, with a view to approving the design and building of an integrated demonstrator.