Renault will use sailing ships to transport cars from Europe to the United States (US). By doing so, the car manufacturer aims to reduce its CO2 emissions.
The French carmaker aims to reduce its CO2 emissions by 25% by 2022 compared to 2010. Renault also wants its supply chain to reduce its CO2 emissions by 6% by 2022. As part of this strategy, Renault announces it has signed a deal with NEOLINE, a French startup that builds cargo sailing ships.
NEOLINER
These ships - called NEOLINER - are 136 metres long and 24.2 metres wide. The ships are designed for a cruising speed of 11 knots. For stabilisation, the vessels are equipped with a keel, whose position is automatically adjusted to the speed at which it is being sailed. Because of this keel, the NEOLINER's sailing depth is 14 metres. The keel can be retracted to reduce the draught to 5.5 metres for entering ports.
The sails of the NEOLINER total 4,200 m2. The two masts to which these sails are attached make the ship a total of 67 metres high. Nevertheless, to pass relatively low bridges, the NEOLINER's masts can be lowered, reducing the ship's height to 41 metres. Besides sails, a hybrid diesel-electric motor of 4,000 kW is also present.
The NEOLINER is equipped with two loading ramps, which provide access to two cargo holds shielded from the elements. The primary cargo hold is 121 metres long, 21.2 metres wide and 9.8 metres high. This hold has an area of 2,236 m2. The second hold - located lower in the ship - is 81.6 metres long, 14.6 metres wide and 5.3 metres high. This hold has an area of 1,200 m2.
90% lower CO2 emissions
NEOLINE will develop two sailing ships for Renault, both to be operational by 2021. Each vessel can carry a total of 478 cars. The vessels will initially be used during a pilot on a route between Saint-Nazaire, France, the US east coast and the French archipelago of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon off the Canadian coast.
Renault expects the use of such ships to offer several advantages. For instance, the carmaker expects to cut CO2 emissions from transporting its vehicles by 90%, but also to reduce the cost of this transport. Renault has entered into a three-year partnership with NEOLINE.
"Groupe Renault's objective is to reduce the environmental impact of each vehicle throughout its entire life cycle, from the transportation of parts to the delivery and final scrapping of the vehicle. In the context of our strategy to explore new sustainable mobility solutions and reduce our carbon footprint, NEOLINE's solution, which combines energy efficiency and operational relevance, caught our attention," explains Jean Philippe Hermine, Vice President Strategic Environmental Planning at Groupe Renault.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Source: Groupe Renault (pictured)
Source: Neoline
