Deltamarin awarded design contract for new Airbus ships

Image: Deltamarin

Turku, Finland, headquartered Deltamarin has been selected to design the three wind assisted RO/RO vessels that France’s Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) will operate under a charter from Airbus. The aircraft manufacturer is looking to cut the carbon emissions of its fleet of vessels used to transport aircraft subassemblies between Saint-Nazaire, France, and its single-aisle aircraft final assembly line in Mobile, Ala., and the new Airbus ships promise big carbon savings.

Powered by a combination of six rotor sails and two dual-fuel engines running on marine diesel oil and e-methanol, the vessels are designed for minimal environmental footprint. Each will have the capacity to transport around seventy 40-foot containers and six single-aisle aircraft subassembly sets, a substantial increase from current cargo ships.

“The renewal of our marine fleet is a major step forward in reducing our environmental impact,” said Nicolas Chrétien, head of sustainability & environment at Airbus, at the time the contract with LDA was announced. “The latest generation of vessels proposed by Louis Dreyfus Armateurs are more fuel efficient than their predecessors, using cutting-edge technologies like wind-assisted propulsion. This demonstrates our determination to lead the way in decarbonizing our sector by innovating not just in aviation, but across all our industrial operations.”

The new Airbus ship fleet is expected to reduce average annual transatlantic CO2 emissions from 68,000 to 33,000 tonnes by 2030.

Deltamarin, which worked with LDA on the concept design for the trio, will now collaborate with LDA and its selected shipbuilder, Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group Co Ltd., on the basic and detail design of the vessels.

Deltamarin, which worked with LDA on the concept design for the trio, will now collaborate with LDA and its selected shipbuilder, Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group Co Ltd. on the basic and detail design of the vessels.