The European Space Agency’s (ESA) cargo ship tied up at the quayside at the Waasland Dock in the port of Antwerp on Tuesday afternoon. The ship was carrying components for the ESA’s latest Ariane-6 rocket. What makes the ship special is that it is a cargo ship that also has sails and can sail both at sea and on shallow inland waterways. The sails save fuel and lower carbon emissions.
Philippe Schoonejans of Space Expo in the Netherlands knows the ship well as he previously worked at the European Space Agency. He told VRT News that the ship is “an engineering miracle".
The ship that is called the Canopée was specially built to transport the ESA's latest rocket, the Ariane-6. Mr Schoonjans told VRT News that “The Canopée is 120 metres long and has four masts that are 37 metres high. From these hang narrow rectangular sails. It is modern technology and of course it doesn’t resemble the tea clippers that were on the high seas 150 years ago. Using the sails means that 30% less fuel is required”.
Transporting the rocket across the Atlantic is done in a cost-effective way. “All parts are collected in Europe first. The route goes from Bremen to Rotterdam, Le Havre, Bordeaux and then across the ocean to South America. At the launch base in French Guiana, the rocket is assembled rather like a piece of furniture from Ikea”.
The ship is also very versatile. "It can sail across the ocean, but it can also sail on rivers. In French Guiana it has to sail on a shallow river and it is able to do that.”