France-based Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) has been selected by Airbus to build, own and operate an entire new fleet of low-emission vessels to transport its aircraft subassemblies between production facilities in Europe and the United States. The new fleet will cut average annual transatlantic CO2 emissions by 50%, achieving 33,000 tons in 2030 compared to 68,000 tons in 2023.
Berg Propulsion has been chosen to be the system integrator of these modern, low-emission roll-on / roll-off vessels, assisted by wind propulsion. The fleet will utilize cutting-edge technologies, like The Switch DC-Hubs, to help Airbus reduce its environmental impact.
The fleet renewal also supports Airbus’s ambition to increase the A320 family production rate to 75 aircraft per month by 2026. Each new transatlantic vessel will have the capacity to transport around seventy 40-foot containers and six single-aisle aircraft sub assembly sets – wings, fuselage, engine pylons, horizontal and vertical tail planes – compared to three to four sets with current cargo ships.
To power the new fleet, The Switch received an order for three newbuild hybrid vessels, each with two The Switch DC-Hubs. The first deliveries of two The Switch DC-Hubs took place in November 2024. The following deliveries are planned for early 2025.
Juha Reinilä, Key Account Manager of The Switch, adds: “This order is very important for us. It demonstrates Berg Propulsion’s and LDA’s trust in our DC-Hubs and support. We are extremely pleased to work closely with Berg in making this a project an international success.”