SKYTUG®

SKYTUG® is a wind powered transoceanic tug 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 controllable 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. SKYTUG has been supported in its Phase 1 development by funding from the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) launched in March 2021, funded by the Department for Transport and delivered in partnership with Innovate UK. As part of the CMDC, the Department allocated more than £23 million to 55 projects supported by 208 organisations from across the UK. The CMDC was announced as part of the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan to position the UK at the forefront of clean maritime technologies and reduce emissions from the sector. The CMDC is supporting the research, design, and development of zero emission vessel and infrastructure solutions to enable clean technologies to commercialise and to accelerate the decarbonisation of the maritime sector. SKYTUG is now looking forward to its next project stage - the development and launch of an integrated seagoing demonstrator vessel.