Maritime transport is one of the sectors which pollutes the most. Indeed, freighters, container ships or bulk carriers account for 3% of carbon emissions worldwide. On the occasion of the COP26, which officially ends on Friday 12 November, the European Union recalled its objective, which is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions linked to transport by 55% by 2030 and achieve the neutrality in 2050. However, clean ships with alternative fuels such as green hydrogen are slow to arrive. Therefore, some companies rely on the ancestral energy of the wind. And among them, French women like Neoline, Towt or Alizés.
Thus, the young company Zéphyr & Borée based in Nantes designed Canopée, with its partners Jifmar Offshore Services and Ayro, a sailing freighter capable of transporting a rocket. From 2023, it will transport the elements of Ariane 6 to Guyana.
“You have to imagine a boat 120 meters long, equipped with 1,500 square meters of sails which adjust themselves according to the angle and speed of the wind., describes Amaury Bolvin, co-founder of the Nantes-based company. When it’s windy, the power generated by the sails relieves the power required by the engines. ” With the key to fuel savings “considerable”, estimated “between 20 and 40%” of the boat’s consumption.
Néoline, another young player in the sector also based in Nantes, intends to develop by 2024 a line almost entirely sailing, between Europe and America. “It’s an interesting line, especially from a sailing point of view because it’s windy all year round”, explains Jean Zanuttini, president of Néoline. The objective is to cross the North Atlantic, between Saint-Nazaire (Loire-Atlantique) and Baltimore (United States). “French shippers need to export goods that do not fit in the containers, such as the boats of the Beneteau group or the machines of Manitou.” With this vessel, Néoline hopes to save 80 to 90% of fuel.
Some companies say they are interested in these means of transport. Thus, a dozen companies including Michelin will launch a call for tenders in a few months. “We are looking for low carbon solutions”, explains Géraud Pellat de Villedon, who reflects on the challenges of sustainable development in this company. It will involve transporting 500 containers by ship. “We are therefore very far from the ships that come from Asia with 23,000 containers, but the decarbonisation will go through small units. Our idea is therefore to create demand to develop these shipping companies. We will be users of this service.” If nothing is done, the international maritime organization assures that ship emissions could double by 2050.