The Vessel
Sailing - the technology that powered exploration & discovery, international trade, and cultural exchange for millennia - receded during the twentieth century to occupy two nearly opposite areas of human activity. It has become a sport and pastime for the world's rich or a survival technique for some of the world's poorest communities. The Greenheart Project intends to use the innovative designs and equipment from the world of yachting to help preserve that other, endangered, sailing community.We believe that this new type of small, ocean-going cargo ship could be very helpful in preventing the disappearance of dozens of coastal towns and villages -- rich in human resources, but poor in opportunities.
Greenheart-type ships, that:
- are cheap to produce and maintain,
- use no fuel and have unlimited range,
- enjoy superb access because of shallow draught and folding masts, and
- have autonomous cargo-handling capacity,
could provide economic stimulation and direct market access for sailing communities that have been marginalized by the costs of engines & fuel, or have been left behind by the scale of containerization.
The United Nations Committee on Trade and Development declared that "The non-availability of a well developed transport infrastructure in many developing countries.... has been identified as one of the critical bottlenecks for industrial development." Our Pilot Program for Appropriate Technologies will use the data collected by the S/V Greenheart to establish operating costs, market parameters and other practical considerations in order to assess the viability of this new type of cargo vessel. S/V Greenheart will serve as an experimental prototype 2 TEU* dry cargo ship, and collaborate with universties and development agencies to identify areas where the human resources (existing sail-handling traditions) and the regional market evaluation are favorable for the introduction of such vessels.
Citing their sailing expertise and the reliable trade winds, The Cousteau Almanac suggests that, "Among the best prospects for coastal sailing ships are tropical countries... . " In the case of a Greenheart-type vessel, one could cite the plentiful sunshine as well.
By eliminating the costs of purchasing, fueling, maintaining and repairing a ship's power plant, and by factoring in the savings from the increased cargo capacity of a ship without engine rooms or fuel tanks, we expect to identify many regional markets that could profitably expand their container port, or road and rail-head ports feeder networks with this new type of efficient cargo vessel. It is also reasonable to assume that Greenheart-class cargo vessels with shallow draught and low clearance could open new trading and cargo routes between undeveloped, shallow, or remote ports and terminals deep within the bridges of industrial cities.
Professor Alistair Couper of the University of Wales, suggests that beneficiaries of modern wind-powered cargo shipping might be,"...jute, copra & coconut producers, whose shipping costs have made their products uncompetitive with synthetic substitutes." Of course, the silent, electric propulsion, and clean, zero-emission operation of a Greenheart-type ship would find a perfect application in marine and riverine eco-tourism industries the world around.
*TEU = 20 tonne equivalent unit, or one 20 foot standard shipping container
