InnovationDesigned to carry Ariane 6 rocket parts, Canopée sails challenging routes between Europe and French Guiana.
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The Canopée cargo ship, equipped with four OceanWings sails.
The world’s first hybrid electric and thermal-powered industrial cargo vessel, developed to transport Ariane 6 rocket components from Europe to French Guiana, has shown that wind-assisted propulsion works in real-world commercial shipping.
Canopée, which is equipped with four automated vertical sails made by French startup OceanWings and architecture firm VPLP Design that harness wind power to reduce fuel consumption, has now completed two full years of continuous operation.
According to the company that designs, manufactures, and supplies wingsails to help the shipping industry reduce its carbon footprint, the groundbreaking vessel has achieved average daily fuel savings of 5.2 tons.
This outstanding figure that highlights the aerodynamic efficiency of the OceanWings system is reportedly equivalent to about 1,200 kilowatts (kW) of engine power saved since launch.
Data suggests that the maritime transport sector is responsible for 3 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, while 90 percent of the goods consumed around the globe are transported by sea. “This trend has intensified in recent years, with the volume of goods transported increasing by 250 percent in 40 years,” the company explained.
However, as the shipping industry faces growing pressure to cut greenhouse gas emissions, Canopée now stands out as a promising and practical solution. Each of its wingsails alone contributes around 1.3 tons of daily fuel savings.
This is the equivalent of 300 kW of engine power. Multiplied across the vessel, that translates to over 20.8 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) avoided per day.
However, the vessel has demonstrated not only strong fuel savings but also consistent reliability across two years of operation. As reported, over its two-year operational period, the OceanWings have achieved near-continuous use, showing 99.6 percent system availability.
“The performance of the OceanWings on Canopée is projected to further increase thanks to the constant improvement of OceanWings Software & AI platform,” the company said.
On one of its latest transatlantic voyages, Canopée recorded even higher fuel savings of 2.2 tons per day per wingsail. This corresponds to about 510 kW of equivalent engine power saved per wingsail, or 2 megawatt (MW) in total engine power equivalent.
The ship even clocked a speed of 13.7 knots under sail power alone, a figure that underscores just how far wind propulsion technology has come. According to OceanWings, the system achieved 99.6 percent operational availability over the past two years.
The vessel is operated by low carbon shipping firm Alizés, a joint venture between maritime companies Jifmar and Zéphyr & Borée, and was built specifically to service ArianeGroup’s rocket logistics for the next 15 years.
Credit: Madfly – Y DERENNE/OceanWings
The companies involved, OceanWings, VPLP, Jifmar, Zéphyr & Borée, and ArianeGroup, were recently honored with the Henri Kummerman Prize by the French Académie de Marine for their contribution to maritime innovation.
“Our group differentiates itself by putting its expertise and know-how at the service of innovative, made-to-measure projects,” Jean-Michel Berud, Chairman of Alizés and General Director of Jifmar said in a press release. “We’re proud to be part of this move towards a more responsible maritime world.”
The company sees wind propulsion as a critical tool in the effort to decarbonize maritime transport. In addition to fuel savings, it emphasizes the system’s ease of use and seamless integration into daily vessel operations.
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