STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN — The Oceanbird is a proposed cargo yacht that would be able to carry 7,000 cars.
Its designers say that it will use its giant, wing-like sails for general propulsion, saving up to 90 percent in greenhouse gas emissions.
The Oceanbird's sails are like telescoping wings that can extend up to 80 meters high.
The vessel is 200 meters from stem to stern and 40 meters from starboard to port side.
Swedish shipbuilding company Wallenius Marine announced that it will work with Swedish government organizations to build this giant sail ship.
The shipbuilder says Oceanbird can make a transatlantic crossing in around 12 days, which is only slightly longer than the time taken by today's fossil-fuel powered cargo ships.
When the wing sails are extended to their full height of 80 meters, the ship will have a height above waterline of 105 meters, making it the tallest ship ever built.
Thanks to their telescopic construction, these sails can also be lowered, resulting in a height above the waterline of 45 metres for when the ship needs to pass under a bridge, or when it sails through stormy weather.
The Oceanbird's giant wing sails will be made of a mixture of metal and composite materials.
They will be twice the height of sails on the largest sailing vessels around today.
According to Wallenius Marine, their Oceanbird concept shows that the maritime industry can bring about major change and that zero-emission shipping is possible if ship designers use wind.