SkySails which is the company knew tried kites seems to have given up ships and changed focus to land-based power:
> SkySails is the pioneer of wind-assisted ship propulsion systems based on kites. The technology was successfully proven on board of sea-going vessels between 2004 and 2012. However, in order to make the biggest possible impact on the ongoing energy transition, SkySails decided to focus on the dynamic energy sector with its SkySails airborne wind energy systems for power production for the time being.
> The SkySails propulsion system for vessels is therefore currently not marketed anymore.
> SkySails is the pioneer of wind-assisted ship propulsion systems based on kites. The technology was successfully proven on board of sea-going vessels between 2004 and 2012. However, in order to make the biggest possible impact on the ongoing energy transition, SkySails decided to focus on the dynamic energy sector with its SkySails airborne wind energy systems for power production for the time being.
> The SkySails propulsion system for vessels is therefore currently not marketed anymore.
https://skysails-marine.com/ | https://skysails-power.com
Back in the days they even had some commercial orders: https://www.surfertoday.com/kiteboarding/norwegian-ship-orde...
Not sure I buy their reasoning of discontinuing the shipping angle. Seems likely it was a hard sell.
I always though it seems like a cool idea, given that the automatic controls were robust enough. Hope airseas have more luck.