Wings over the ocean, for a cleaner future

Marc Van Peteghem knows boats. His parents liked to sail and by 9, Marc was sailing his own boat.

He grew up to be a naval architect - that is, someone who designs boats and ships. His speciality is designing super-fast ocean racers. You might have seen boats like these last week during the Arctic Vendée race.

Marc also cares about the planet. He has five children and says he wants to do all he can to make sure they have a healthy world for the future.

He was interested in a challenge: how to transport the enormous parts of the Ariane space rocket from Europe, where they’re built, to South America, where the launchpad is? And how do that while burning a lot less oil than normal cargo ships?

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From racing to rockets

Marc thought, what about a sailing boat?

Now, you might think that’s a crazy idea. The Ariane rocket is immense and needs a ship much more like the ones that carry thousands of tonnes of cargo around the world – not at all like the racing boats Marc builds. Those often carry just one person.

But Marc has a secret weapon. It helped his team win the Americas Cup, the oldest and most famous prize in sailing. And now he’s putting it to work on cutting carbon emissions for carrying Ariane rockets across the Atlantic Ocean.

Marc is putting sails on a cargo ship. That way, wind power can replace some of the need to burn oil.

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Ocean wings

He’s not putting on any old sails. In fact, they look – and act – more like the wings of an airliner. They’re not made of cloth but of stiff metal.

“What’s special about this ship is that it has four wings,” Marc tells WoW! News. “You have to think of them like the wings of an aeroplane – but that stand upright on the ship. They harness the energy of the wind and help us save fuel –and so we emit less CO2.”

Known as the Canopee, the ship is due to be launched in a few months’ time. It’s part of a growing trend of looking back to the old days of sailing ships to find cleaner ways to trade – look out for sails on the horizon soon!

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A heart for the planet

Marc is happy to have contributed a solution for cutting carbon emissions.

“I have five children. My generation is very much responsible for our problems today and so we have do something. I wanted to do my bit,” says Marc.

And he has a message for children, too: “It’s going to be really exciting to invent a whole new world – so really put your heart into it.”‍