The Minneapolis-based company is experimenting with employing advanced, 123-foot sails on its fleet of 600 cargo ships in partnership with several other international corporations, including Japanese automaker Mitsubishi.
By catching wind and reducing a ship's reliance on carbon dioxide-emitting diesel fuel, the business anticipates that the sails will reduce carbon emissions from its fleet by up to 30%. According to a news release on August 21, 2023, Cargill's objectives are not entirely altruistic because it anticipates saving $1,200 in fuel expenditures per day for each ship refitted with wind sails.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, the transportation industry is a major source of emissions that contribute to global warming, and large cargo ships that use one of the dirtiest fossil fuels are a substantial contributor to global warming.There aren't many simple decarbonization options for the shipping sector. According to a 2022 study published in the journal Nature, electric batteries powerful enough to power a container ship need to be so huge they would occupy as much as a third of the ship's cargo area.