MV Canopée: Wind-assisted RO/RO rocket ship makes first U.S. port visit

Photo: Port Canaveral

The MV Canopée, the world’s first new generation wind-assisted hybrid propulsion commercial RO/RO vessel, arrived in Port Canaveral, Fla., yesterday, marking its inaugural U.S. visit.

Launched in 2022, the MV Canopée is a French-flagged cargo vessel, designed and purpose-built for Ariane Group to transport Ariane 6 rocket components from ports in Europe to French Guiana for the European Space Agency.

It arrived in Port Canaveral to deliver the European Service Module (ESM-3) module, the European Space Agency’s contribution to NASA’s Orion spacecraft that will send astronauts to the Moon and beyond. It provides electricity, water, oxygen and nitrogen as well as keeping the spacecraft at the right temperature and on course. It will fly on the NASA SLS Artemis-III mission to the moon, the first since the Apollo era.

“Port Canaveral was thrilled to welcome the MV Canopée on its first visit to the U.S. and proud to support NASA and their European Space Agency partners as they prepare for a historic return to the moon,” stated Capt. John Murray, Port Canaveral CEO. “The design and purpose of this sail-assisted commercial vessel is unique for the maritime transport sector in both innovation and the type of cargo it carries for space exploration.”

Ambassador Services International (ASI), stevedore for the operation, oversaw the delicate removal of the module from the vessel and its loading onto a flatbed truck for transport to the Kennedy Space Center north of Port Canaveral.

Owned by Zéphyr et Borée and operated by Alizés, both French companies, the Canopée was built at the Neptune Shipyard in Poland and is 121 meters long by 22 meters wide ship. Capable of carrying 5,000 tons at a speed of 16.5 knots, it is powered by two 3,840 kW diesel engines and four huge Ayro Oceanwings sails, each with an area of 363 square meters.

The 37 meter-high vertical wings are fully automated and can rotate 360° to follow the wind. Significantly more powerful than conventional sails, these wings allow Canopée to maximize the use of wind power and reduce its average annual fuel consumption by around 30%.

You can learn more about the ship, and see imagery of it with the sails deployed HERE