Four wings for a rocket
The naval architecture company VPLP is designing its first maritime transport ship using the technology of Oceanwings. The project concerns the development of a 121-m-long RoRo vessel for transporting components of the Ariane 6 rocket from Europe to French Guiana.
Equipped with four Oceanwings, the vessel is designed to have the least possible impact on the environment. The design firm, founded in 1983 by Marc Van Peteghem and Vincent Lauriot-Prévost, thus enters the field of maritime transport. Ariane Group, the primary contractor for the Ariane launch vehicle, put out a call for tenders concerning the transportation of the various parts of the new Ariane 6 launcher from Europe to the launch pad in Kourou, French Guiana.
The contract to build was awarded to the maritime company Alizés, a joint venture between the offshore services specialists Jifmar and Zéphyr & Borée. The new ship – named “Canopée” – is equipped with hybrid propulsion comprising four 30 m high Oceanwings with a total surface area of 1,452 sqm. (fd)