B9 Shipping - our history

Atlantic Clipper 3

In 1983 Jeff Allen built the first sail assisted cargo ship of modern times, known as The Atlantic Clipper, she sailed between the UK and the Caribbean. This 400 tonner with a 100 foot steel hull and twin 100 foot masts sailed every six weeks at an average speed of 8.5 knots. She carried breakbulk cargo. The use of sails meant an £11,000 reduction in operating costs every trip.

During the three years Jeff sailed The Atlantic Clipper he gained unique experience of running sail assisted cargo vessels. The saving in fuel costs, the increased stability afforded by sails and the relative size of the vessel convinced him that sail technology would be a critical factor in servicing smaller markets that require a regular service but are unable to support conventional shipping.

The effects of economies of scale on small island states

The trend to maximise ships' tonnage in the interests of economy has created a shipping vacuum in markets where the movement of smaller cargoes is essential.

The shipping industry's trend towards larger ships effectively isolates small island economies from participation in world trade as they cannot support large volumes of either import nor export, nor do they possess the necessary port facilities to accomodate large vessels. As a result, trade relies largely on consolidation and transhipment, this is slow, unreliable and expensive.

THE BRIGHT GREEN SHIPPING COMPANY

In 1994 Jeff Allen and Diane Gilpin developed a prospectus for the AIM market for The Bright Green Shipping Company. Based on the success of the Atlantic Clipper the BGSCo proposal outlined a two 500 GRT ships operating a liner service providing a direct, fast, and regular service between Canada and the Caribbean - servicing existing markets, re-opening traditional ones and stimulating new trading enterprises. No other shipper was able to provide a competitive service on the route since the use of sail reduced costs by up 70%.

Publicity surrounding the AIM launch attracted the attention of David Surplus of B9 Energy who had long recognised the potential of harnessing the wind to once again power cargo ships.

David and Norman Surplus were already well ahead of the environmental curve in developing B9 Energy wind farms in N. Ireland. Their father had had a long career in merchant shipping and both could see the potential for using sail once again as principle power source for cargo ships.

PROJECT JUGGERNAUTICAL

In 1999 B9 Energy collaborated with Diane Gilpin to produce a feasibility study funded by ENTRUST which undertook the following tasks:

Identification of an appropriate and established route to demonstrate the practicability of a zero emission ship moving waste. That route is Aberdeen to Lerwick.
Development of a Transport Chain Analysis to provide a basis for measuring CO2 emissions generated during the transport process to identify where emission reducing transport technologies could best be employed.
Development of a specification for the zero emission ship, based on the proven design used to build the Atlantic Clipper
Identification of a proven ship building technology that will keep construction costs to a minimum
Development of preliminary designs for the hull and sail plan for a zero emission ship
Exploration of opportunities to use recycled materials in the construction of the vessel
Examination of the technical implications of using electric power propulsion
Examination of potential cargoes that could be carried on the chosen route
Asessment of the commercial implications of running such a ship on the identified route

B9 Ship 1 This initial design for a B9 Ship was one of the outputs from the Juggernautical study.