French firms that are inspired by kitesurfing want to utilize the same wind technology to propel everything from yachts to cargo ships in an effort to reduce the environmental impact of the shipping industry.
The sector is under fresh pressure to decrease its dependence on fossil fuels as the International Maritime Organization signed a deal on 7 July that raises its emissions-reduction targets.
Beyond The Sea began a blue inflatable kite sailing the size of a small studio in Arcachon Bay in southwest France to pull a particularly-designed catamaran across the water.
The founder of the company, Yves Parlier, said, using Kitesurfing lingo to speak to this team of engineers steering the 25-metre kite.
Kitesurfers use their hands to control the kite during kitesurfing.
In Parlier's SeaKite catamaran, a robotic traction system is used for the kite, with winches and artificial intelligence that adjusts the sail's position to the wind conditions.
The aim is to create much larger kite sails that could one day pull yachts, trawlers and even container ships.
It's a fantastic system of traction, which allows one to reduce fuel consumption by 20 percent on average, said Parlier, a former winner of transatlantic sailing competitions.
The potential is enormous given that there are almost 100,000 merchant ships crisscrossing the oceans and 4.6 million fishing trawlers worldwide.
The Wind Ship Association, founded in 2019 in France, intends to green the maritime industry, with around 1,400 ships fitted with such kites.
Beyond The Sea will carry out similar tests on its specially-designed kites off the coasts of Norway and Japan and the Mediterranean in March next year.
It hopes to double the size of its kites every year, reaching 800 sq. m in four years, according to the company's executive director, Marc Thienpont.
The shipping industry has to find alternatives to fossil fuels, with the IMO setting a net-zero emissions goal for close to 2050, with progressive reduction goals of at least 20 percent by 2020 and at least 70 percent by 2040 compared to 2008 levels.