Sustainable transportation: Airseas’ giant automated kites reduce energy consumption of commercial ships

The innovative Atlantic France based company Airseas has received its second order for a giant automated kite from the Japanese ship-owner “K”Line (Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd.), after the first order was placed in 2019. The solution called Seawing allows ship emissions to be reduced by 20%. 

The forward thinking company Airseas was founded in 2016 by Vincent Bernatets, who set out to find alternative eco-friendly methods of powering ships, and moved to Nantes last summer. With the creation of the company’s giant kite Seawing, the company is pushing forward with zero emission technology. 

Airseas’ first customer was Airbus, for whom the company will install its system on a vessel in December. The second early customer, Japanese transportation company “K”Line, has already ordered two automated kites, and has an option on 48 others, providing them with a wind powered alternative to sail their ships.

“Seawing reduces the environmental footprint of capsize vessel by 5,200 tons of CO2 per year depending on the vessel voyage route” states Mr Asano, SMEO of “K”Line, in a company press release.

Sailing ahead with future objectives

Innovation is in abundance in Atlantic France and Airseas is a clear example of a company working towards ideas that will benefit the company and the planet. Being an automated product, it is efficient and simple to use, requiring very little training for workers aboard ships. The development of the giant kite is well underway, and a ½ scale prototype kite was already successfully tested in the Mediterranean Sea last spring.

What’s more, after “K”Line’s second order, mass production is now taking place and it is Airseas’ ambition to produce 1,000 kites within the next 10 years and also to equip “15% of the world fleet by 2030”.