Newbuilds & Orders
LD Armateurs fits six Norsepower Rotor Sails on Spirit of Toulouse
LD Armateurs and Norsepower have completed installing six 35-metre Rotor Sails on Spirit of Toulouse in Shanghai, making it the largest RoRo with wind propulsion and pairing the sails with dual-fuel methanol engines for Airbus aircraft-component sailings.
Source: LD Armateurs (opens in a new tab)
LD Armateurs and Norsepower have completed the installation of six Norsepower Rotor Sails on Spirit of Toulouse, the lead ship in a three-vessel low-emission RoRo fleet built for LD Armateurs to move large aircraft sub-assemblies for Airbus between Europe and North America. The work was carried out by Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group at a coastal outfitting site in Shanghai.
The companies say the installation makes Spirit of Toulouse the largest RoRo equipped with wind propulsion and the RoRo with the most mechanical sails. Each rotor sail measures 35 metres by 5 metres. The sails are paired with two dual-fuel main engines and two dual-fuel generator sets that can run on e-methanol, bio-methanol or marine diesel oil, with wind propulsion intended to cut fuel use alongside the methanol system rather than as a stand-alone add-on.
Spirit of Toulouse is the first of three sisters, with Spirit of Mobile and Spirit of Mirabel to follow under charter to Airbus. Norsepower and LD Armateurs announced their collaboration in early 2024; construction began by October that year, and the lead vessel was launched in February 2026. Rotor sail installation is now complete ahead of sea trials, with further optimisation planned on the maiden voyage from China to France.