Louis Dreyfus Armateurs ventures into wind-powered shipping

Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) is venturing into wind-powered shipping as the group sees the benefits of operational savings and a need for decarbonisation.

The commitment to wind-assist and primary wind propulsion solutions in shipping now sees LDA becoming the latest member of the International Windship Association (IWSA) to help further the development of these primary renewable solutions.

“We are very excited by the development of wind solutions as a key answer to the decarbonisation challenges we are facing today and it is only natural for us to join the International Windship Association in its drive to further develop these technologies,” said Edouard Louis-Dreyfus, president of LDA.

LDA noted that the need to reduce fuel costs and future proof vessels in preparation for decarbonisation costs is growing and the embrace of technology solutions that can deliver double-digit savings for retrofit installations and significantly higher savings for optimised newbuilds makes a lot of sense.

LDA owns, charters and operates over 100 vessels worldwide and has been searching for ways to reduce emissions along with their customer Airbus. The positive results garnered from the testing of the Airseas kite system has led to the decision to have one permanently fitted onboard the 21,500-dwt roro Ville de Bordeaux from 2020 onwards.

Also, in early 2019 LDA initiated the design of a large transoceanic roro vessel with full integration of wind assisted propulsion and plans to continue development work in this field.

Gavin Allwright, IWSA secretary General, commented: “Wind-assist and primary wind propulsion is increasingly being viewed as a credible, viable and economic option and we look forward to working with the LDA team to further the uptake of 21st century wind propulsion solutions for the commercial fleet.”