The company, while technically successful at cutting shipping costs and carbon emissions, has faced economic difficulties.

[1][2] Head of business development Henning Kuehl has said: There's a structural problem slowing down the process: ship owners (who have to make the investment) often don't pay for the fuel – that's the charterer's duty.

For multiple reasons, ram-air kites give many times the thrust per unit area of conventional mast-mounted sails.

[4] A conventional ship with a SkySails system burns less fuel, and has two propulsion methods, making it a type of hybrid vehicle.

Up to 100 million tons of carbon emissions every year could be saved by widespread use of SkySails technology, according to the International Maritime Organization.

The 132 m, 10,000 tonne vessel was fitted with a 160-square-metre (1,700 sq ft) kite and launched 17 December 2007 and departed the northern German port of Bremerhaven to Guanta, Venezuela in January 2008.

[6] The ship completed its journey on 13 March 2008 after sailing from Germany to Venezuela, then to the United States, and ultimately arriving in Norway.

[6] The annual savings in consumption on windy routes is on the order of about 5.5%, as determined by the EU-funded Life project WINTECC (duration four years).

Once the tether has reached its maximum extension of 800 meters, the autopilot steers the kite into a neutral position with minimal drag and lift.