Canopée's Revolutionary 'Oceanwings' Propel Europe's Largest Space Rocket Across the Atlantic

Canopée is a cargo vessel with a unique layout and extremely unusual cargo, with four sails reaching 121 feet above its main deck. When the wind conditions are ideal, the sails have a total surface area of about 16,000 square feet and could give a significant boost to the 3,150-ton vessel.

Canopée’s primary power source remains a pair of diesel engines, but it is an insight into the future of seafaring.

Canopee — Image Credits: Screengrab Youtube video by AYRO

The sails, dubbed “Oceanwings” because they look like aircraft wings when completely deployed, have the potential to decrease fuel usage in half. With optimal wind conditions, it can save up to 50 to 60 per cent, explains Nils Joyeux, MD of Alizés, the French business that manages the ship.

The ship was built to transport Ariane 6, Europe’s most recent and biggest space rocket, which is scheduled to launch in mid-2024. The rocket elements must be delivered to Europe’s Space Agency’s spaceport based in French Guiana, a foreign territory of France located in the northeast of South America.

Canopée successfully executed its first transatlantic journey in early November, with the sails deployed and with rocket parts, kicking off the final stage of the Ariane 6 program’s development.

Canopée, which was built in Poland, initially went to the water toward the end of 2022 before its sails were set up in the summer of 2023.

Capable of transporting 5,000 tons of cargo at 16.5 knots, it has now returned to Europe and will make a dozen voyages every year between the ports of Bremen, Le Havre, Rotterdam, and Bordeaux, delivering freight to Pariacabo in French Guiana.

Reference: Albanyherald

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