Saint-Nazaire, June 20, 2025
Two years after its launch, Canopée—the first industrial cargo vessel equipped with four automated OceanWings®—has clearly demonstrated the potential of wind-assisted propulsion. Operational data confirms average fuel savings of 1.3 tonnes per day per wingsail, equivalent toaround 300kW of equivalent engine power.
On the occasion of the Henri Kummerman Prize awarded by the French Académie de Marineto ArianeGroup, Jifmar, Zéphyr & Borée, VPLP and OceanWings for the Canopée vessel project, the companies decided to share their return on experience aftertwo years of sailing with this most advanced hybrid cargo ship in the history.
Designed to transport components of the Ariane 6 rocket between Europe and French Guiana, Canopée operates under demanding transatlantic and Europeanschedules and conditions.
Theintegration of OceanWings® has not only improved fuel efficiency but also demonstrated, over 2 years in operation, the reliability and uptime performance of wind-assisted propulsion for merchant shipping. Theseresults have strongly validated the technological and operational choices made at the project’s inception.
Concretely:
On average, each wingsail already saves 1.3 tonnes of fuel per day under Canopée’s normal operating conditions, corresponding to approximately 300 kWof equivalent engine power per wingsail, or a total of 5.2 tonnes of fuel (20,8 tonnes CO2 equivalent) per day and 1200kW of equivalent engine power forthe 4 OceanWings.
The performance of the OceanWings on Canopée is projected to further increase thanks to the constant improvement of OceanWings Software & AI platform. On one of the most recent transatlantic voyages, Canopée delivered average savingsof 2.2 tonnes per day per wingsail, corresponding to 510 kW of equivalent engine power saved per wingsail, or 2MW of equivalent engine power for the entire vessel. Canopée was also clocked at 13,7 knots under sail power alone which shows the clear potential of the OceanWings technology to the propulsion of commercial vessels.
In average over the past 2 years on Canopée, OceanWings also showed 99.6%of operational availability, also demonstrating the remarkable aerodynamic performance and versatility of the OceanWings technology.
Alizés, the Joint Venture between Jifmar and Zéphyr & Borée operating the Canopée vessel, expresses strong satisfaction with the performance and the sea worthiness of the OceanWings and the support of the OceanWings team. The company is convinced of the relevance of wind propulsion as a key lever for decarbonizing maritime transport. Beyond the fuel savings, the companies highlight the ease of use and seamless integration of the OceanWings® system into daily operations. Canopée is seen as a pioneering success that paves the way for broader adoption of wind-assisted technologies across the fleet.
