Powerful
A 1000m² sail surface to harness the power of the wind and tow ships. Based on modelling and preliminary land-based tests, Airseas estimates that the Seawing system can reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 20%.
Simple
A simple control panel from the bridge to safely deploy, operate and store Seawing. All operations will be 100% automated, with no crew intervention required. Installing the Seawing system as a retrofit is remarkably swift, making it easy to equip an existing vessel without impacting its flow planning.
Smart
Seawing can also be integrated into fleet information systems to increase overall efficiency. Also, the data model is continuously enriched - as experience is gained - to improve Seawing's performance.
The system
-
Traction wing
1000m² of sails to pull the vessel thanks to its dynamic flight -
Flight control pod
An autopilot and 3 actuators to guide and control the wing -
Digital twin
Modelling of the vessel with Seawing to calculate the trajectory and transmit it to the pod -
EcoRouting
Optimising the use of Seawing with maritime and aeronautical data -
Deck equipment
Deploy, launch, recover and store the kite -
100 tonnes of traction
Estimation of the traction generated by 1000m² of sails in dynamic flight
Hardware
Deck equipment
The deck platform allows the automated take-off and landing of the parafoil wing. It consists of a mast, carts, winches and a storage area. The cart system releases the wing from its storage before being inflated at the top of the mast for take-off.
Flight equipment
Each flying sub-assembly (comprising a parafoil wing, a flight control pod and an umbilical cable) controls the automated and optimal flight of the wing. The wing is linked to the pod, which in turn is connected to the ship by the umbilical cable, transmitting traction while transferring data and power between the ship and the pod. During flight, the wing is automatically steered to maximize system power and ensure safety.
Bridge equipment
Our control panel oversees system operations, Seawing flight tracking and routing optimization.
Software
Digital twin
A digital model of the wing and the ship helps calculate different flight scenarios according to the wing's exact position, direction, and wind speed. The physical system is in constant dialogue with the numerical model, with updates every 300 milliseconds to ensure the most efficient use of the system.
Eco-routing
Our routing software, developed in partnership with TimeZero by Maxsea (advanced engineering know-how from the ocean racing industry), optimizes the boat's route by capturing the best weather conditions and guaranteeing the ship's arrival time.
Airseas news
A new technical milestone for Seawing, the kite that tows ships
We have reached an important technical milestone in the Seawing sea trials, with the successful validation of traction flights on the vessel Ville de Bordeaux. ...
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Here’s why shipping needs to start treating wind power as an essential propulsion source
En traitant la propulsion éolienne comme une source de propulsion, plutôt que comme une mesure d'efficacité, nous pouvons commencer à exploiter le vent dans tout le secteur....
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Seawing takes off!
How sea trials are bringing our unique wind-assisted technology to life...
Read postKey figures
24 hours Average duration of the installation on a ship.
30mn Seawing deployment sequence.
300m Altitude of Seawing above sea level.
150km/h Dynamic flight speed of Seawing.
20% Estimated fuel savings and associated emissions reductions.