Sail-powered cruise ship concept unveiled

Oslo-based YSA Design has disclosed details of a sail-powered catamaran cruise ship, codenamed Seabreeze and described as market ready, with four 50m-high foldable sails and a hybrid energy system.

The 104.5m-long cruise ship, with capacity for 200 passengers, is designed to combine the sustainability of sail power with a shallow draft of 4m, enabling access to a wide range of locations out of reach to single-hull cruise vessels.

The design has the four sails mounted on 6m-high deck-mounted bases so that they can capture zero-emission wind. Bio-methanol engines will provide power for hotel operations and, in the absence of wind, the main propulsion. The vessel will also have batteries enabling silent operation.

The two 18.2m-wide hulls will be connected by an inverted U-shaped structure spanning 18.5m. The catamaran’s two-deck superstructure will incorporate the bridge and some public spaces, while each hull will have four decks with 100 dual-occupancy cabins and accommodation for a crew of 155 persons.

The two hulls will have retractable aft and central platforms extending down to the water when Seabreeze is at anchor or in dynamic positioning mode. Sea lounges will then open for beach and water sports, or sunset dining later in the day. Passengers will also be able to ‘hover’ over the sea on a transparent structure between the hulls or relax on a mesh connecting the hulls in what YSA Design describes as a ‘floating experience’.

“Sustainability is critical, but cruise shipping also needs to continuously reinvent itself,” declared Trond Sigurdsen, senior architect and partner at the design firm. “A sustainable ship which brings environmentally conscious guests closer to the sea and reaches destinations other cannot is a clear opportunity at the premium end of the cruise market.”

“Seabreeze also aligns closely with contemporary thinking on destination-based cruising, where a ship gliding in under sail would not disturb wildlife and would be a welcome visitor anywhere. A 21st century wind-powered ship could even drive revival in communities which suffered the demise of sail,” he added.