The French company Airseas is trialling an automated kite system for the first time on board a commercial ro-ro cargo ship as propulsion support during an Atlantic crossing. The aim is to validate the design concept and optimise subsystems during ongoing sea operations.
Airseas as an offspring of Airbus
Airseas was spun off from the industrial giant Airbus in 2015 and has since utilised its specific experience in aeronautical engineering to develop a sail kite that can be used as a wind propulsion system for large commercial vessels. The concept is for the full-size version of the Seawing, a 1000 m2 parafoil, to fly at altitudes of almost 1,000 feet (300 metres), where it captures the more stable high-altitude winds to support the ship's propulsion.
Range of applications
According to Airseas, the winds are more constant and stronger from around 500 feet above sea level. The research also showed that the Seawing could provide a pulling force of up to 100 tonnes. The company predicts fuel savings of 20 per cent on average by using the kite sail - even for ships up to 200,000 tonnes and 300 metres in length.
On-board test
The system is being tested on the approximately 150 metre long Ro-Ro "Ville de Bordeaux" (5,200 dwt), which is operated by Louis Dreyfus Armateurs and chartered by Airbus. A team of Airseas engineers is on board to test the patented system and collect data. The most difficult parts of the tests, apart from the programme-controlled, mechanical folding and unfolding of the wing, are the first climb section at low altitude, i.e. the take-off and landing of the wing, where the movements caused by waves and turbulence have to be compensated for. The team tested both a 250-m2 version of the wing and a 500-m2 version, with the Seawing flying more than 650 feet (200 metres) above sea level. In the next phase, the Seawing will be tested in different weather conditions and the automation system will be fine-tuned.
Good prospects
Following the system tests for its launch customer Airbus on board the "Ville de Bordeaux", Airseas reports that it has already received orders from Japan's K Line for five Seawing systems after the classification society Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) granted approval in principle for the wind kite system in July 2020. K Line announced plans to test the system on two Capesize bulkers and expand to three post-Panamax bulkers. K Line has been given the option by Airseas to equip up to 51 vessels in total with the system.
Source: gCaptain, Airseas
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