The kites are designed to help pull it along and reduce fuel consumption.
Agribusiness giant Cargill said it will test a wind-powered kite system designed to help pull one of its chartered freighters across the ocean [in an attempt to] cut fuel use, lower transportation costs and diminish its carbon footprint.
Wayzata-based Cargill said it has agreed to the installation of a 2,400-square-foot kite on a 30,000-ton cargo ship, “making it the largest vessel propelled by a kite in the world.” The kite system has been tested on smaller vessels, where under ideal and windy conditions it can cut fuel use by 35 percent, its developers claim.