French Yacht Designer VPLP deploys Oceanwings for commercial shipping

French naval architecture firm VPLP has moved beyond its work in yachting and competitive sailing to commit to development of a 121m ro-ro vessel for transporting components of the Ariane 6 rocket from Europe to French Guiana. Equipped with four of the company’s Oceanwings – VPLP’s proprietary automated, reefable soft-sails – the vessel is intended to reduce emissions relative to conventional fossil fuel-based propulsion for cargo craft of similar size.