Michelin equips deep-sea patrol vessel with sail system
Michelin has developed an inflatable sail system to save fuel and therefore emissions. A French ship is to be equipped with it.
Deep-sea patrol vessel with Michelin sails: support for diesel-electric hybrid drive or primary propulsion system
(Image: Michelin)
By 2050, shipping should be climate-neutral. New – and old – propulsion systems are therefore being tested to help reduce emissions. The French company Michelin has developed a sail as an auxiliary drive and will equip a ship with it.
Michelin calls the system WISAMO, an abbreviation for Wing Sail Mobility: Mobility by Wing Sail. A 170 square meter sail will be installed on the ocean patrol vessel in 2027, as Michelin has announced. It can support the diesel-electric hybrid drive or be used as the primary propulsion system.
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The customer is the Direction générale des Affaires maritimes, de la Pêche et de l'Aquaculture, the French authority for maritime affairs, fisheries and aquaculture (DGAMPA). The vessel is to be used for maritime surveillance within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
The sail is inflated
The symmetrical wing sail is made from a lightweight and durable composite material. The fabric cover consists of air chambers that are inflated at low pressure to put the sail into operation.
It is set on a telescopic mast, which is extended when needed. The mast is therefore self-supporting and does not require shrouds or stays – i.e. the ropes that support a conventional mast.
With its telescopic mast and air chambers, the WISAMO is easy to stow. Operation is largely automatic: when WISAMO is activated, a computer system takes care of the rest. It ensures that the mast is extended and the sail is inflated. It adjusts the sail, reefs if necessary and retracts the sail when it is no longer needed. Sensors detect the wind direction so that the system can trim the sail accordingly.
Tests on sailing yachts
The WISAMO has so far been tested on sailing yachts and on a container ship. The development team included the French professional sailor Michel Desjoyeaux, who is the only person to have won the Vendée Globe single-handed regatta twice.
"This order is an important step in the development of WISAMO and the decarbonization of the maritime sector," said Maude Portigliatti, Head of Polymer Composite Solutions at Michelin. The company plans to offer WISAMO for various types of ships, from cargo and workboats to yachts.
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Ships must be climate-neutral by 2050. The industry is therefore considering various alternative ship propulsion systems. This also includes a renaissance for nuclear drives in civil shipping.
(wpl)
