Louis Dreyfus Armateurs to build three wind-assisted RoRos for Airbus

European aerospace giant Airbus has selected French maritime firm Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) to renew its fleet of chartered vessels with three low-emission roll-on /roll-off vessels supported by wind-assisted propulsion.

Airbus has commissioned LDA to build, own, and operate these new vessels that are scheduled to enter into service in 2026.

The ships will transport aircraft subassemblies between production facilities in Europe and the United States.

The new fleet is expected to reduce average annual transatlantic CO2 emissions from 68,000 to 33,000 tonnes by 2030. The investment is part of Airbus’ strategy to reduce its overall industrial emissions by up to 63% by the end of the decade – compared to 2015 as baseline year – in line with the 1.5°C pathway of the Paris Agreement.

“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. 

“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.”

“We are very pleased to have been selected by Airbus to develop this state-of-the-art and low-emission fleet and to continue our longstanding partnership,” said Edouard Louis-Dreyfus, President, Louis Dreyfus Armateurs. 

“This new project, setting high targets, reflects our ambition regarding the decarbonization of the shipping industry. We are proud to support our customers in their energy transition, going even beyond their expectations by offering innovative solutions and sustainably driving change.”

As informed, the chartered vessels that transport Airbus’ aircraft subassemblies across the Atlantic between Saint-Nazaire, France, and its single-aisle aircraft final assembly line in Mobile, Alabama, will be gradually renewed.

The new vessels will be powered by a combination of six Flettner rotors – large, rotating cylinders that generate lift thanks to the wind, propelling the ship forward – and two dual-fuel engines running on maritime diesel oil and e-methanol.

Additionally, the shipowner said that routing software will be used to optimize the vessels’ journey across the Atlantic, maximizing wind propulsion and avoiding drag caused by adverse ocean conditions.

LDA has already teamed with bound4blue to install wind propulsion tech on one of its vessels.

The fleet renewal also supports Airbus ambition to increase A320 family production rate to 75 aircraft per month by 2026.

Each new transatlantic vessel will have the capacity to transport around seventy 40-foot containers and six single-aisle aircraft sub-assembly sets – wings, fuselage, engine pylons, horizontal and vertical tail planes – compared to three to four sets with current cargo ships.