The 121-meter-long “Canopée” cargo ship, built to transport elements of the Ariane 6 rocket equipped with four wind propulsion masts, in Bordeaux on October 4, 2023 (AFP/Philippe LOPEZ)
The first hybrid industrial cargo ship powered by wind, called “Canopée” and tailor-made for ArianeGroup, was inaugurated Thursday in Bordeaux, before soon joining the Kourou space base in Guyana.
The mission of this ship, 121 meters long and 22 meters wide, with four 37 meter high masts, is to ensure the transport of parts for the Ariane 6 launcher from European ports to that of Pariacabo in Kourou (Guyana). , where they will be assembled, for the next 15 years.
“This is the start of the commercial phase. We delivered the boat in December 2022, we went back and forth between Europe and Guyana but without the sails which were added this summer and we will start its first rotation on Sunday to Bremen, Rotterdam, Grattequina on the Garonne, before Guyana where it is expected at the beginning of November”, explains Jean-Michel Berud, president of the charterer and responsible for the logistics operations of Alizés, a joint venture between Jifmar Offshore Services and Zéphyr & Borée, which won the call for tenders from ArianeGroup.
With its sail propulsion, the cargo ship will save “30 to 40% of conventional fuel” during its nine annual rotations, according to ArianeGroup.
Flying the French flag, the ship “is a concentrate of innovations and audacity which meets the needs to rationalize costs and develop more sustainable transport”, explains Christophe Caralp, director of the supply chain of the aerospace group . “It will chart the path for carbon-free maritime transport in the years to come.”
Its automated wings, 37 meters high and 11 meters wide, are made up of two flaps – a front and a rear – which are oriented using an algorithm that analyzes the weather and upcoming winds, rotating 360 degrees in order to find the optimal propulsion for the ship.
“It’s like airplane wings where the flap will go down to allow the plane to take off by generating significant thrust,” compares Romain Grandsart, operational director of Ayro, a Breton start-up which was inspired by innovations in offshore racing.
The 121-meter-long “Canopée” cargo ship, built to transport elements of the Ariane 6 rocket equipped with four wind propulsion masts, in Bordeaux on October 4, 2023 (AFP/Philippe LOPEZ)
This robust system, “no more complicated to handle than a large crane”, does not require lengthy specific training for sailors either.
Designed to face competition from the American launcher Space X, the first inaugural flight of Ariane 6 is planned for 2024, according to the European Space Agency (ESA).
© 2023 AFP
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