Reshaping The World's Cargo Ships

"We could save up to 11 million tonnes of CO2 each year."

What does a fuel-efficient ship look like?

For the last 50 years, shipowners have boosted performance by increasing the size of their vessels. But this neglects one key component; on today’s big ships, air resistance still contributes up to 15% of fuel consumption.

Joë Sangar and Léon Grillet, the design duo behind BlueNose, have set out to change this.

BlueNose’s core product – which won a 2024 Terra Carta Design Lab award – is a wind deflector that can be retrofitted onto ships to improve their aerodynamics. Using AI algorithms and novel materials, the team produce shapes tailored to fit every vessel.

Roughly 5,000 container ships are responsible for 1% of the world’s total emissions. If each of these ships was retrofitted with BlueNose’s structure, it would be the equivalent of growing 400 million trees or removing 2.2 million cars off the road every year.

Though the BlueNose design can be constructed on new vessels when they come to market, this solution can be installed now, on existing ships. If nothing changes, the industry's emissions are set to double by 2050. The scale of the problem demands urgent action.

With prices on the rise and new regulations being passed, cutting down on fuel consumption is not just an environmental consideration but an economic one, too. Addressing these targetable emissions is both sustainable and profitable. It's a win-win.

To learn more about BlueNose's innovative design solutions, visit their website.