Deltamarin has announced its collaboration with Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) and Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group Co Ltd. (WSIG) in designing three modern and eco-friendly roll-on / roll-off vessels for Airbus aircraft subassembly transportation. The new fleet is set out to cut C02 emissions by 50% compared to 2023 levels by the year 2030.

Airbus has selected the French shipowner Louis Dreyfus Armateurs to modernize its entire fleet of chartered vessels that transport aircraft subassemblies between production facilities in Europe and the United States.

Deltamarin has previously collaborated with Louis Dreyfus Armateurs on the concept design of the vessels, and now continues with the basic and detail design for the Wuchang shipyard.

Powered by a combination of six Flettner rotors and two dual-fuel engines running on marine diesel oil and e-methanol, the vessels are designed for minimal environmental footprint. The new fleet is expected to reduce average annual transatlantic CO2 emissions from 68,000 to 33,000 tonnes by 2030.

Each new transatlantic vessel will have the capacity to transport around seventy 40-foot containers and six single-aisle aircraft subassembly sets, a substantial increase from current cargo ships.

The vessels will be built, owned, and operated by LDA and are expected to commence operations in 2026.

Deltamarin has significant experience in China, demonstrated by various successful projects completed in Chinese shipyards. These achievements reflect strong cooperation between the parties involved, which is notably evident in the projects carried out for LDA, a client with whom we have maintained a longstanding and strong partnership over the years.