Beachable Sailing Ship Transport                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
      This project proposes an additional system to current shipping practice by using grounding (beachable) sailing ships capable of loading and unloading at remote ports or beaches.  It facilitates small producers to cheaply transport and sell products directly, thus eliminating intermediaries.  It offers the possibility of changing the usual methods of transport, purchase, and sale, by establishing a close relationship between the producers and consumers.  The ships are economically viable because they are exceptionally strong and seaworthy, powered by wind, inexpensive to mass-produce, easy to sail and maintain.
     Under the existing transport system, local produce is trucked to factories and warehouses  before it is again transported by truck or train to a major port.  The cargo is loaded on the  ship and sail to a large port where it is unloaded and transported to factories or warehouses by smaller ships ( 1000 to 3000 tons), railway, or trucks.   When it reaches the destination port, it is transported back to warehouses or further processed and packaged in factories, and finally trucked back to the local community.

      The ship transportation is the least expensive method of transport.  However, the ship only receives 1/3 of the amount paid for their transportation because a disproportionate 2/3 goes to the loading and discharging of the ship.
     The ship does most of the work and has far more expenses than the loading and the discharging combined.  Within 8 to 16 hours a few men handling machines can load the cargo;  also the unloading requires little expense and time. The worker unions loading and unloading the cargo often refuse to work during nights, weekends, and holidays or demand  double pay.  The manditory pilots that the ship is obliged to take often will not work at night.  This means that if a ship arrives on the weekend or night, the ship must wait at sea.  The ship must wait to have the cargo loaded,  then sail many days,  wait up to a further two days to have it unloaded, and it often sails back without cargo.  It must pay for fuel, crew, repairs and maintenance,  insurance,  pilotagage,  port costs,  agents,  inspections and certificates.                                                
    
The Role of Insurance Companies                
      Historically, a small ship freely loaded its own cargo, transported that cargo to another port, and sold it directly to the public.   When larger ships were used, a larger investment was needed to buy the cargo... so it became necessary for the larger ships to be insured to protect the investor's capital.    The insurance company will not insure a ship that is not built to its standards. Modern shipbuilding complies in accordance to many laws and regulations often dictated by the insurance companies. The manditory  ships inspections every five years is enormously expensive... perhaps as expensive as the ships value.  Thus many ships are built to have a life expectancy of only 15 years, because after that time the insurance rates are higher. A ship will often be scrapped after only 15 years because it can no longer get cargo at a premium rate and it will be due for another costly inspection. The insurance companies impose so many expensive requirements that it has become operationally uneconomic for many ships.
     I've heard of a ship owner privately purchasing his cargo.  However, he had a big problem with self-loading his cargo because the port unions interferred, so the captain sailed his ship to a small port where self-loading was possible.  But then upon arrival at his destination in a large port, the unloading and selling of the cargo was blocked.  This was ultimately disastrous because the ship can not remain idle, and the cargo can spoil.  He was forced to sell the cargo at a great loss.
      Small ports lacking unions dictating loading and discharging usually have the disadvantage of not being dredged.  If a modern cargo ship can enter such a harbor during high tide, it will damage its fragile bottom when settling on the ground during low tide.  A shallow draft (not deep), beachable ship with an exceptionally strong bottom can withstand beaching.  Modern build ships with a heavy load coming down a wave and landing on a beach would burst open like a dropped watermelon.                  
                                                                                                                                                                 The Advantages in Using Small Beachable Ships
     1)   Ships can be self loaded and discharged.
     2)   Port costs are minimal because of lower dockage fees and free port entry without the usual manditory pilotage fees.            
     3)  Cargo can be directly bought and sold. The independent producers no longer have to sell their products at a very low rate to the wholesalers. Small local businesses can access inexpensive local transport and sales opportunities.
     4)  The ship is built to meet its own unique needs and not the needs of the insurance companies.  Groups of shipowners, who trust each other's competence and ships, can create their own insurance organization.  Fishermen successfully use this model in the European countries.                    
     5)  Small ports can have inexpensive facilities where property is cheaper.      
     6)  Smaller quantities of produce are less damaged when packed and loaded by hand.                                
     7)  A great percentage of fresh produce from outlying areas is often not picked because the transportation cost is too high for a small quantity;  or it could rot before it is purchased because it takes too much time to be transported to the many middlemen.                        
     8) The final cost for many products is significantly reduced.                                                                      

     example: A 12 meter sailing cargo ship (such as the prototype I built in India) can take a diversified cargo of local produce like:  fruit, vegetables, spices, coconuts, palm oil, honey, raw rubber,  and local crafts. It only takes about 9 days from India to sail this cargo to Saudi Arabia, where it can be retailed from the ship directly to small retailers or consumers.  This is actually faster then transporting produce the many times to the various middle men.
      example:  Consider a 30 meter, 200  ton sailing cargo ship sailing from India requireing about 20 days sailing to Singapore, Australia, or East Africa and directly selling its cargo.  If the transport cost is €0.25 per kilo, that means the gross profit of the cargo is €50,000... while the consumer buys the cargo cheaper than normal.  Amazing profit considering it's an inexpensive sailing ship with negligible operating costs.
                                                                                                                                                                
Ecological Advantages  
     Ships are the most energy efficient means of transportation. Considering the many times the same product gets transported, it's obvious that energy efficient ships save enormous amounts of emitted CO2.  A direct transport system takes more trucks off the transportation grid.                                                                                                                                                           .                                                                      
       The ships are built from materials which minimalize environmental damage.  They incorporate renewable energy from the wind and sun as their main power source.  They will be built to last many lifetimes with low maintenance.  Not even their bottom will be painted with environmentally damaging paint because scrubbing and spraying clean will be cheaper.  Their hand loading and discharging will save on polluting packaging material.
                                                                                                                                                                    A New Construction Technique
     It is possible to build an inexpensive, safe, and durable ship using reinforced lightweight cement weighing only 300 to 500 kg per cubic meter.  The ship could be very thick, thus ensuring the ship could not sink.  It is possible with this quality to have the ship classified as a lifeboat;  thus excluding it from many costly international safety regulations.  Also, the cargo would be insulated from heat and cold. (Refrigerated ships are much more expensive to build and receive double the normal cargo price.)   This construction technique requires little maintenance.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
Market Potential                                                
     A)  There are few, if any, beachable, sailing vessels capable of carrying international cargo.  
     B)  Other organizations could contract these ships for world trade, such as: "Fair Trade"; or a world food organization; or a medical service; or cross-cultural and educational programs.
     C)  The ships could be managed and sold as group shared working commercial yachts.   Most yachts are seldom used and are a liability.    It is possible to have a profitable organization with working yachts, shared as business/ social ventures.  Eco-tourists could also be organized according to the owners personal character preferences.   Yacht owners could sail in seas they never would've imagined possible, made easy with a support organization to take care of them.
      D)  Businesses transporting via this shipping method benefit from a "green" image.                      
      E)  A shipping organization could operate training programs leading to certificates for captains and crew, help future shipowners in purchasing their own ships,  advise or organize their shipping business, and help with the ships operational needs.
      F)  The ships can accommodate passengers with samples of their produce,  thus creating the opportunity to explore new markets.  Small producers could become commercially viable again by restoring traditional businesses and crafts. The producers could tailor their orders directly to their customers requirements.          
      G)  New trade routes will be opened based on the new markets demands of isolated municipalities.  The new trade links encourage decentralized sustainable self-sufficiency, conservation, and cultural exchange.

SAILING,BEACHING CARGO SHIP for ocean transport

12 meter sailing cargo ship prototype

The design of this 12 m prototype is based on the "blazer"... a flat bottom sailing fishing boat built in 1885 to sail in extremely rough seas off the Dutch coast. I adapted the design so that the ship can be completely turned over and come back up again. The topsides are about 1 inch thick(2.4 cm) and the bottom is about 6 inches thick. It it has to be very strong on the bottom for beaching in rough seas. It must come down a wave fully loaded with 20 tons cargo , smash on sand or small stones , and not split open like a watermelon. Everything about the design is made so that it can withstand rough treatment with little upkeep. The holes in it are for ropes to be put through so that everything can be tied on... including the lee boards on each side, the mast and rigging,the bowsprit, and the rudder. There are no bolts or screws. The interior also has holes for ropes to be tied. .. so that it is rather like a spider web inside... nets can be hung for sleeping in, and cargo can be tied down. This facilitates easy cleaning , because cargo is often messy. If fresh produce is taken, cockroaches must be easily cleaned when the interior is washed.

I've had a lot of trouble in its construction, saturating with cement the 12 layers of wire mesh used for reinforcement. The wire mesh is expensive. I found a solution by replacing the wire mesh with small polyester strands which can be mixed in with the cement. Also I find it's possible to add bubbles to the cement so that the cement can actually be lighter than water. This will mean that the ship will float when being damaged with a hole and is extremely well insulated. On the planned larger 24 meter ships, the hull thickness could be over 1 meter thick, thus giving fantastic insolation for refrigerated cargo. The ships can also take cargo such as live fish swimming in the hold. There should be no need for paint. The growth on the bottom could be washed by hand.