A “new era” is dawning for the shipbuilding industry. The group French hotelier Accorthrough its Orient Express subsidiaryhas in fact placed an order with Chantiers de l’Atlantique for the first two sailing ships, an innovative technology, baptized “Silenseas”, on which the Saint-Nazaire manufacturer’s design offices had been working for several years. 220 m long, these ships will be surmounted by three giant carbon fiber sails, which will make them the “biggest sailboats in the world”. Their delivery is scheduled for 2026 and 2027. Two additional orders are also optional.
“We have had an interest in sail propulsion for several years. We needed a first client. We are delighted that it is Accor ”, rejoiced this Friday Laurent Castaing, director of the Chantiers de l’Atlantique. Much smaller than the latest giants of the seas released by the shipbuilder, the two boats will each be able to carry 120 cruise passengers. Luxuriously equipped, they will offer 54 cabins with an average surface area of 70 m2, including a “monumental presidential suite of 1,415 m2”. Two swimming pools and two restaurants will also entertain passengers.
But it is the presence of masts and sails that will give the boats their main originality. Designed on the “solid sail” model developed by the Chantiers de l’Atlantique, the sailing device will save “30 to 40%” fuel (fuel oil and liquefied natural gas) and “reduce as much” the emissions of CO2. Objective: to make the ship a “benchmark on the environmental level”.
“If it works, there will be many more”
Composed of a steel base topped with carbon, the mast, a prototype of which has been installed since Friday in the port of Saint-Nazaire, will be 72 m high and can tilt by 70 degrees. The sails, for their part, will each extend over 1,500 m2 and will be foldable. “They will suffice for the ship when there is wind. But when the wind drops, the engine will have to be used,” explains Laurent Castaing. Unlike most sailboats, the boat will sail flat thanks to the installation of heel boxes. “Passengers won’t feel anything,” assures the director. “It’s a sailboat designed to leave room for dreams. A showcase welcoming the best of French know-how,” enthuses Sébastien Bazin, CEO of Accor.
An identical sail propulsion system will be installed on the future freighter of the French company Neoline, whose construction schedule will be unveiled next week. “We are increasingly convinced that this solution will have a future for both ocean liners and cargo ships. [transport de marchandises]. If it works, there will be many others”, bet Laurent Castaing. The outlook is such that Chantiers de l’Atlantique is now studying the possibility of building a “specific factory for masts and sails”. As the Saint-Nazaire site is often saturated, it is planned to set up in Brittany. “For current orders, we have the means to do it on site in Saint-Nazaire. But we think there will be other orders. »
Present in 110 countries, with 5,300 hotels and 10,000 restaurants and bars, Accor is one of the world’s heavyweights in the hotel sector.