Michelin continues to develop WISAMO in partnership with Compagnie Maritime Nantaise
- Michelin's WISAMO wing will continue its development on a ro-ro vessel of the Compagnie Maritime Nantaise -MN. Two weekly rotations between Spain and Great Britain will operate with a WISAMO wing from the end of 2022.
- Continued trials with Michel Desjoyeaux's boat to continue perfecting the technical development of this solution.
WISAMO, Michelin's solution which aims to contribute to the decarbonization of maritime transport, is on the rise at the start of the year. Michelin and the Compagnie Maritime Nantaise - MN have just signed a partnership agreement aimed at testing this innovative solution on a first merchant vessel.
A prototype wing, with a surface area of ​​100 m², will be installed on the ro-ro container ship "MN Pélican" belonging to the Compagnie Maritime Nantaise - MN.
This installation will make it possible to test the WISAMO wing in real conditions of commercial maritime navigation and will thus participate in the industrial development phase of this new technology. If the tests prove conclusive, this partnership agreement would pave the way for tests with a larger sail, allowing a real step towards the decarbonization of maritime transport.
Chartered by Brittany Ferries to the Compagnie Maritime Nantaise - MN since 2016, the MN Pélican makes two weekly rotations between Poole (Great Britain) and Bilbao (Spain). The Ro-Ro container ship will be equipped with the WISAMO wing from the second half of 2022.
CONTINUATION OF THE TECHNICAL TESTS ALREADY IN PROGRESS WITH MICHEL DESJOYEAUX
In parallel with this new partnership, and still with the aim of applying it to maritime transport, the technical tests of the first prototype of the 100m² wing are continuing on Michel Desjoyeaux's sailboat.
Various tests and measurements carried out in Switzerland on Lake Neuchâtel, between June and December 2021, have been very conclusive. On the strength of the results obtained, WISAMO will enter a second phase of more in-depth tests in winter maritime conditions in the Bay of Biscay. The sailboat sent to Royan will be able to start sailing at the end of February 2022.
AN INNOVATION PRESENTED BY MICHELIN AT THE MOVIN'ON 2021 SUMMIT, "WISAMO" IS A SOLUTION AIMED AT CONTRIBUTING TO THE DECARBONIZATION OF MARITIME TRANSPORT.
The WISAMO project presents an inflatable, retractable and automated wing, which can be installed on merchant and pleasure vessels. Taking as its acronym the first two letters of the words "Wing Sails" and "Mobility", the WISAMO project was born of a meeting between Michelin Research & Development and two Swiss inventors who shared the Group's "all-sustainable" vision.
The wing uses the propulsion of the wind, free, universal and inexhaustible energy. This inflatable wing, with a revolutionary design, will reduce fuel consumption and thus have a positive environmental impact by reducing CO 2 emissions . Designed and developed by the WISAMO project team, it can be installed on the majority of merchant ships and pleasure boats.
Particularly suitable for ro-ro, bulk carriers, gas and oil tankers, this wing can be installed when the boat is designed, as original equipment, or as a retrofit on an already operational ship.
The wing has a wide range of use, especially upwind (headwind), allowing it to have one of the widest ranges of use on the market. The wing can be used on all sea routes. Retractable, it will facilitate port arrivals and passage under bridges. It will enable fuel savings of up to 20%* per vessel.
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