THESEUS entering Silloth. Strange foremast.

Telescopic. It's used with a skysail.

Theseus came to Carboneras, Spain late last year. The mast is an extendable pole from which a fuel saving kite is flown. It's a complicated apparatus, and when it's in operation it looks like a huge parachute hovering about 150m above the vessel. Notice the two extra windows looking upwards from the central bridge windows. The Captain said that it really works, I think he said it gave something like 30% saving on fuel costs. He even had a minicam picture taken from the chute looking down to the vessel. Impressive stuff!

More info at http://www.wessels.de/aktuelles_detail_en.php?id=71&detid=36

Spot on guys. I have posted a picture with mast extended. The crew say she will do 9.5 knts with no engine in right conditions. This last fortnight in the Irish sea should have suited them!
Neil

Paint scraping fit if the port side is as tight. Reckon it would make you look twice if you spotted it with a kite flying.
With the summers we get it should be nil fuel all year.
Crawford.

think she would do 20 knts tonight
cheers
terry music man

Makes me wonder what the sonar operator on a sub would make of her as she passed at twenty knots and no propeller
signature.
Crawford.

Rather a tight squeeze but in she went, what a grand shot of her Anchorman, an usual visitor to our port with the unusual featured mast come sail, would have loved to see it in action.

A stormy day when she arrived. Some technicians working on sail next day. Hopefully will be a thing of the future.
Regards.
Neil