European aerospace giant Airbus has selected French maritime firm Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) to renew its fleet of chartered vessels with three low-emission roll-on /roll-off vessels supported by wind-assisted propulsion.
Airbus has commissioned LDA to build, own, and operate these new vessels that are scheduled to enter into service in 2026.
The new vessels will be powered by a combination of six Flettner rotors – large, rotating cylinders that generate lift thanks to the wind, propelling the ship forward – and two dual-fuel engines running on maritime diesel oil and e-methanol. Additionally, routing software will be used to optimize the vessels’ journey across the Atlantic, maximizing wind propulsion and avoiding drag caused by adverse ocean conditions. The new vessel will have the capacity to transport approximately seventy 40 foot containers and six single aisle aircraft sub-assemblies (wings, fuselage, engine pylons, horizontal and vertical tails), whereas the current freighter is only able to transport three to four assemblies.
The new fleet is expected to reduce average annual transatlantic CO2 emissions from 68,000 to 33,000 tonnes by 2030. The investment is part of Airbus’ strategy to reduce its overall industrial emissions by up to 63% by the end of the decade – compared to 2015 as baseline year – in line with the 1.5°C pathway of the Paris Agreement.
As informed, the chartered vessels that transport Airbus’ aircraft subassemblies across the Atlantic between Saint-Nazaire, France, and its single-aisle aircraft final assembly line in Mobile, Alabama, will be gradually renewed.
