Cargill unveils first wind-powered dry bulk ship: US commodities group Cargill has deployed a dry bulk ship equipped with special sails that harness wind power, according to a statement. The ship has been fitted with 37.5-meter-high wind sails and has set sail from Singapore to Brazil, and will likely transport a shipment grain to Denmark, Reuters cites Cargill’s president of ocean transportation Jan Dieleman as saying. The ships are expected to save up some 30% of fuel used for new build ships, the statement said. The ship will probably remain within the confines of the North Atlantic region to maximize wind usage, Dieleman added. “If we are not going to get any real surprises, we are definitely going to scale this. The question is a little bit how and when,” Dielman said.

This isn’t the only company looking at using wind power for vessels: We recently reported on a French startup that is currently testing designs for inflatable kite sails that could be used to propel container ships. The system uses winches and artificial intelligence that adjusts the sails’ positions based on wind conditions.

London is the world’s most expensive city for warehouse space, and Dubai is seventh on the list, Bloomberg reports.Warehouse costs in London rose by nearly 12% in 1H 2023 due to rent hikes surpassing inflation, according to Savills data picked up by the business information service. London’s top-tier warehouse space costs USD 41.68 per square foot, far exceeding the second most expensive city’s USD 27.44 per square foot in Sydney, while Dubai’s costs came in at USD 20.5 per square foot. The rise in warehouse rents comes as retail businesses focus more on e-commerce, and manufacturers reassess supply chains in response to the pandemic and geopolitical uncertainties. However, there are indications that the rate of warehouse cost inflation is slowing, with total expenses up 4.4% in 1H 2023 compared to a 5.4% increase in 2H 2022.

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