First of three Airbus-chartered RoRo’s launched in China
The Spirit of Toulouse has been launched in China
(Source: LD Armateurs)
France’s LD Armateurs has launched the first of three low-emission RoRo vessels, Spirit of Toulouse, at Wuchang Shipyard in China. The shipbuilder is part of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation, the world’s largest shipbuilder.
Two more vessels, Spirit of Mobile and Spirit of Mirabel, are still under construction. The three ships will be chartered by Airbus to carry aircraft components. Built to a low-emission design, each vessel will have six 35-m Norsepower Rotor Sails and two dual-fuel engines designed to operate on e/bio-methanol or marine diesel.
The RoRo’s are expected to cut carbon emissions by 70% on the trans-Atlantic route but additional reductions may be possible by using other fuels such as hydrotreated vegetable oil. The 168m-long ships will have a service speed of 14 knots.
