The hybrid ship was inaugurated Thursday October 5 in Bordeaux. On the banks of the Garonne, he amazes passers-by. franceinfo was able to board this cargo ship which will transport elements of Ariane 6.
It took five years to build it but the dimensions of the ship are impressive: four masts, 36 meters high and pieces of rocket to transport to Guyana. The sails were installed in July and, after several weeks of tests, this new generation ship was inaugurated with great fanfare in Bordeaux on Thursday October 5.
>> The inaugural flight of the European Ariane 6 rocket is officially postponed to 2024
Pierre and Paul, former sailors, examine the ship from the quays of the Garonne, where it is moored for the moment. “A bow like that doesn’t sail the seas”marvels one of them. “We thought that sailing boats were over”the other is surprised, because Canopy is a hybrid ship, which uses both engines and sails. “It’s an incredible boat!enthuses a Canadian tourist, coming from Vancouver. At home, we see many boats, but not as innovative as this one.”
30 days to cross the Atlantic
At the bottom of the hold, Arthur Landormy is the operations manager for Alysés, the company responsible for operating the ship on behalf of Ariane Groupe. “Before, it took a boat and a half to transport an Ariane launcher 5. Today, we take everything on one boat : the launcher, but also the fuel for the rocket.” And there is yet another cargo deck below, to collect the rocket boosters.
:quality(50)/2023/10/06/20231005-144957-651fea3c6be46083671822.jpg)
All these elements of Ariane 6, Canopy will collect them in the different countries where they are manufactured: Bremen, Rotterdam, Le Havre, Bordeaux, Kourou then return to Bremen. For the entire journey, it takes around thirty days at maximum speed. During the Atlantic crossing, sailors can hoist the sails from the cockpit.
Ecological and, ultimately, very profitable
But the “zero emissions” ship is still far away. If conditions are optimal, Canopy could save 30% fuel per year, on average. “There is of course an ecological interest, and in addition, an economic interestexplains Nils Joyeux, one of the designers. The boat costs a little more to build, but this extra cost is offset by the fuel savings. In five, ten or fifteen years, sails will become super profitable.”
We will have to wait a few more months, after the first flight of Ariane 6, for Canopy comes into full operation.