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STX France designs carbon-free sailing cruise ship

PHOTO: Mary Bond
STX France's Arnaud Le Joncour, svp sales and marketing and Stephane Cordier, vp ship development projects alongside Silenseas model at Seatrade Cruise Global
STX France has developed a new hybrid cruise ship design named Silenseas and incorporating a custom engineered sail system aimed at eco-responsible cruise operators.

The result of ten years R&D by the Saint Nazaire shipyard, Silenseas is a combination of a sailing yacht and passenger ship and the design comes in three configurations ranging from 85mtr long with sail area of 1,350sq mtr capable of carrying 60 passengers, a 120mtr long version with 2,800sq mtr sail area for up to 108 passengers and the 190mtr version sports seven decks, 4,350sq mtr of sail and can accommodate 300 passengers.

As a hybrid cruise ship, Silenseas uses both sail propulsion and dual-fuel engines to keep to the scheduled routing. The vessel can operate under sail for winds speeds above 15 knots and true wind angle above 50 degrees.

In addition, the use of batteries, hydrogenation and innovative waste treatment plant, allows Silenseas to leave no environmental footprint behind, Stephane Cordier, vp ship development projects at STX France explained to Seatrade Cruise News.

Advanced routing software is provided to maximise the use of sails as much as possible, but when the wind is calm, the vessel can reach 12 knots using the dual-fuel engines.

The Solid Sail system, invented and developed by the Saint-Nazaire shipyard, is designed to go beyond the technical limitations of existing technologies, said Cordier.

The air draught of the Silenseas 120 and 190 design is 103mtr – 30mtr higher than the world’s largest cruise ship, Symphony of the Seas, recently handed over by STX France to Royal Caribbean.

‘This patented sail solution is made of several composite panels hinged together to allow for automatic folding. The free standing aerorig solution means Silenseas can manoeuvre under any obstacle and can be rotated 360 degree to trim the sails and, safety-wise unload and lower the sails in minutes without altering course,’ he said.

The sail system has undergone extensive wind tunnel testing and sea trials and there is no size limit, noted Cordier.

Next stage in the development of Silenseas is to trial a half-scaled sail, measuring 250sq mtr, as intended use as the foremast on Ponant’s Le Ponant sailing vessel this summer, Cordier revealed.

Each individual sail system has an open air passenger sun-lounge integrated into the boom base making each sail look like a mini-yacht.

STX France displayed a model of Silenseas at this year’s Seatrade Cruise Global in Fort Lauderdale and received a lot of interest noted Arnaud Le Joncour, svp sales and marketing STX France.

Earliest delivery for the first Silenseas would be around 2012-22, Cordier remarked.