Successful Sea Trials for Becker Daggerboard Technology

Becker Marine Systems’ Anti-Drift Daggerboard technology has been successfully tested during sea trials of the new Airbus transport vessel ‘Spirit of Toulouse’. Equipped with specially developed Anti-Drift Daggerboards from Becker Marine Systems, the vessel combines innovative wind-assisted propulsion with advanced hydrodynamic technology to improve overall efficiency. The project marks an important milestone for Becker Marine Systems and demonstrates the role of advanced hydrodynamic technology in supporting efficient wind-assisted propulsion.

Becker Marine Systems’ Anti-Drift Daggerboard system has been successfully tested during sea trials of the ‘Spirit of Toulouse’, a new RoRo cargo vessel designed to transport Airbus aircraft components across the Atlantic. The 168-metre-long vessel was built for the French shipping company Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) and will operate between Airbus production sites in Europe and its final assembly facility in Mobile, Alabama (USA).

One of the vessel’s key features is its innovative propulsion concept: Six 35-metre-high Flettner rotors supplied by Finnish manufacturer Norsepower harness wind energy to generate additional thrust, thereby reducing fuel consumption. The Wind Assisted Propulsion System (WAPS) is complemented by a specially developed Anti-Drift Daggerboard system from Becker Marine Systems.

Daggerboards as a key component of efficient Wind-Assisted Propulsion In addition to generating the desired forward thrust, wind-assisted propulsion systems also produce lateral forces that can cause a vessel to drift off course. This is where Becker Marine Systems’ Daggerboard technology comes into play.

This story was originally published by Hellenic Shipping News. Read the full story at Hellenic Shipping News →