Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) is set to welcome the first ship of its next generation RoRo vessels chartered to Airbus. The Spirit of Toulouse, which will be equipped with Rotor Sails, was launched last week at Wuchang Shipyard (CSSC Group).
Two other vessels – Spirit of Mobile and Spirit of Mirabel – are under construction. The new low-emission vessels will be used to ship aircraft components for Airbus.
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Rotor Sails, routing software and AI
The vessels will each be powered by a combination of six 35-metre tall Norsepower Rotor Sails and two dual-fuel engines capable of running on e-/bio-methanol or marine diesel oil.
From the outset, these vessels have been designed to minimise CO2 emissions, employing a holistic approach. They include efficient propellers and shafts produced from recycled steel, very low-friction anti-fouling coatings, a smart power management system, and a heat conversion system.
Equipped with routing software to optimise their routes, they will be able to maximise wind propulsion and minimise drag from adverse ocean conditions. This is further improved using an advanced AI-powered control solution, which enables the vessels to adapt to changing external weather and sea conditions and achieve vessel-specific aerodynamic optimisation.
Seventy per cent CO2 reduction
Each vessel in the new fleet is expected to deliver a seventy per cent decrease in CO2 emissions, on a yearly basis, compared with the previous generation of ships. LDA currently operates two vessels on the transatlantic route for Airbus, including the Ville de Bordeaux, the largest of the fleet, with a cargo capacity equivalent to six aircraft.
The new vessels – Spirit of Toulouse, Spirit of Mobile, and Spirit of Mirabel – will match this cargo capacity. Further emission reductions could be achieved using low-carbon alternative fuels, such as hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) or e-methanol.
At fleet level, considering an increase in overall capacity, the introduction of the new vessels is expected to reduce average annual transatlantic CO2 emissions by approximately fifty per cent compared with 2023, while supporting higher transport volumes.
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Vessel specifications
- Length, overall abt.: 168 m
- Length, bpp: 163 m
- Breadth (mid): 23.32 m
- Depth (mid): 8.50 m
- Draught, design (mid): 5.70 m
- Draught, scantling (mid): 6.0 m
- Speed, service: 14 kn
Picture by LDA.
