About AIRSEAS
AIRSEAS is a French industrial SME based in Toulouse, created in 2016 by aeronautics experts from Airbus Group, eager to dedicate their competences and unique aeronautical know-how to environmental protection.
The company has been dedicated to the development of an automated power kite (SEAWING) capable of provid-ing large ships with zero emissions renewable wind trac-tion power. AIRSEAS has signed multiple contracts with industry leading shipowners.
SEAWING is an auxiliary wind-propulsion system. It consists of a soft wing (parafoil kite) which is flown dynamically in its operating window to capture wind energy.
The kite is linked to the ship through a tether fixed on the front deck. The dynamic flight is controlled by a pod through piloting actuators.
Thanks to its digital twin playing the role of a “crystal ball”, the kite is used in favorable wind conditions that are clearly identified for the captain to decide to launch and retrieve the kite. Upon the captain pressing the on/off switch, the full kite oper-ations are then automated: the take-off, flying motions, landing and storage are performed without manual intervention.
The addition of advanced digital twin technology also takes advantage of the latest in weather routing and optimisation technology to maximise the fuel saving benefit of SEAWING, without compromising safety.
POWERFUL
By flying over an altitude of 150m, Seawing takes advantage of a statistical-ly stronger wind than that found at sea level. As Seawing flies crosswind along a figure-of-eight trajectory, the apparent wind seen by Seawing is also significant-ly higher than the apparent wind seen at ship deck level. Traction power pro-vided by a sail varies as the square of the apparent wind velocity, that is why Seawing can capitalize on the available energy to provide significantly greater reductions in Fuel Consumption and GHG Emissions.
SIMPLE
Seawing is simple to control. As it is fully automated, the captain only has to push an on/off button to deploy the kite after the system advises that weather conditions are suitable for flight. Seawing is also easy to install, installa-tion can be performed at quayside with-out interrupting port visit operations .
FLEXIBLE
Thanks to its architecture, Seawing is also ship-interchangeable. It can be uninstalled and reinstalled onto another ship if the initial one is sold or assigned to less favorable routes. Furthermore, Seawing is compatible with any other main propulsion solution chosen by the shipowner, such as HFO with scrubbers, MDO, LFO, LNG, electric, etc. or any other energy efficiency technologies.
Stéphanie LESAGE
Head of Institutional & Public Affairs
stephanie.lesage@airseas.com
Luc REINHARD
Marketing & Key Account Coordinator
luc.reinhard@airseas.com
