Wind-Powered Hybrid Cargo Ship Now In Service

Ready for a wind-powered car?

Well why not!

At Port Canaveral Florida, the MV Canopée, is on display. .

It is the world’s first wind-powered hybrid commercial cargo vessel.

It recently delivered the European Service Module (ESM-3) , which will fly on the NASA Artemis-III mission to the moon.

Launched in 2022, the MV Canopée is a French-flagged cargo vessel, designed and built by ArianeGroup to transport Ariane 6 rocket components from ports in Europe to French Guiana for the European Space Agency. 

The vessel uses both wind and fuel for propulsion and is the first large-scale hybrid sailing cargo vessel ever constructed.

Operated by the French company Alizés, the vessel is 400 feet long and 72 feet wide, with four wing sails. . They can turn 360 degrees to catch the wind at the right angle and their designers claim they generate far more power than conventional sails. According to the vessel builder, the use of sails allows the vessel to save up to 30% on fuel consumption per trip.

The MV Canopée docked at Port Canaveral’s North Cargo Berth 1 (NCB1)

(Photo: Canaveral Port Authority) Sept 4th 2024