[jmoorebeek]

I agree, the roll moments are a huge design challenge! We're looking at multiple avenues to bring those loads down to the deck: - The double wide container already has a longer lever arm to provide righting moment - We plan to incorporate load spreaders (similar to a crane) which can further extend the footprint to the adjacent container stacks - We are designing in tethers which automatically drop down to the deck level and get lashed down by a deckhand during installation, which provide additional tension support.

Bailey has written a routing software which we use to send virtual ships on crossings (for instance Trans Pacific), incorporating historical weather data. Even with no change in route or vessel speed, we can see benefits.

[mike_d]

> The double wide container

Yikes. Containers are stacked as high as they can be to not crush the containers below. Applying additional downward force is going to cause cascading failures.

You've also just limited your deployment to routes that have double-stack container cranes, which AFAIK aren't that widely deployed.

Have you guys actually talked to anyone in the shipping industry or visited a cargo shipyard yet?

[andy_ppp]

Yes, this is what I thought too. It feels very back of a napkin without much industry experience. I'd love it to work obviously but the thought that installation will be drop a double container onboard and it can be lashed onto most ships and still provide the amount of force needed seems fanciful. It certainly cannot go on top of other containers if that is what they are thinking!

[algorias]

Stability of the container stack is a much bigger issue than the pure weight of the containers. On board a container ship, everything must be lashed down tightly anyways.

Also, sails apply lift, so upwards pull. I know nothing about sail physics, but this claim is in the OP.

Since port stays are very costly, you won't deploy this for anything shorter than a transatlantic voyage anyways. So the double-wide setup seems less of an issue.