Cargo Ships

Cargo Sailing Ship Anemos

Bayou Renaissance Man tells us about the wonderful / ridiculous new cargo sailing ship Anemos. It's fancy, it's green, and I imagine all the oil-haters just love it. Phil B clarifies the situation in a comment:

If you read Basil Greenhill's book The Merchant Schooners (it is about the end of sail in and around Britain) he describes how sailing ships were out priced by steam ships. The steam ships were NOT cheaper to run (the typical sailing schooners had a crew of four, maybe five including a "boy") but were often weather bound for weeks. Looking at old maritime charts, sheltered harbours, bays and inlets were marked as waiting grounds where the sailing vessels could wait favourable winds. The steam ship had a larger crew and had fuel costs but could, on average, make three voyages and earn more money in the same time period than the sail. The crew had to be paid, whether under way or not.

Nowadays, with high value cargoes, the time taken on voyages ties up a lot of capital (imagine a 20 foot container packed with the latest i Phones) which represents a lot of capital tied up and costing interest payments.

Howard I Chapelle laid out the economic case in his book The Search for Speed Under Sail.

Just like cars, if you want the small engine, basic model, it is cheap but the most powerful engined GTI version is a lot more expensive. Speed costs, whether a ship or car and the ship owners would not pay money for a fast ship if they didn't need the speed.

Bulk carriers, carrying low value cargoes (coal, iron ore etc.) plod along at about 12 knots, or about as fast as a bicycle. Container ships on the Trans Pacific route crank out over 30 knots, some as high as 35 knots. That is FAST but they are carrying valuable cargoes.

Add in the fact that ports are geared to handing containers from a ship with no deck obstructions (y'know, like masts, rigging and the clutter on that one) and you need to ask how is it going to be unloaded and where? Going back to the 1890's where men carried individual sacks and boxes off the vessel ain't gonna happen, unless it is a primitive part of the world like Asia or the Pacific Islands. Again, a fast turn around in port so the ship can be earning is the aim, not paying the crew to sit around and/or waiting for another cargo. So the ship has delivered it cargo, unless it can pick up a cargo for the return leg (what kind and what needs to be shipped back to Europe in such a small quantity?), then that is cost and no income if it has to return empty.

It is a bit like a millionaire buying a ranch so his wife can play at being a horse trainer/breeder. In other words, a hobby and a money pit.

Books:

• The Merchant Schooners by Basil Greenhill
• The Search for Speed Under Sail by Howard I Chapelle