Ponant is using high tech tools to design and simulate the cruise ship of the future – a carbon neutral sailing vessel which will be ready by 2030.

Swap2Zero is the first transoceanic ship concept that aims for carbon neutrality when sailing, in port or at anchor.

Her carbon footprint will be reduced throughout her life cycle. The ship will combine renewable energy provided by wind and sun, fuel cells and carbon capture devices. It will be a catalyst for new energy solutions with a high replicability potential.

PONANT Group Deputy CEO Global Business Belinda Hindmarsh made the announcement at a meeting in Sydney.

“We are proud to be at the forefront of maritime innovation by implementing industry leading technology and to pave the way to a decarbonised maritime transportation future.”

The French line is using Syroco EfficientShip, a solution provided by a Climate Tech startup, to help with the design of the Swap2Zero project.

The Syroco EfficientShip platform builds a digital twin of the ship by combining physics and artificial intelligence. The twin is used to model efficiency and performance.

Mathieu Petiteau, Newbuilding and R&D Director at PONANT, explained: “This platform also enables us to precisely model the behaviour of our future ship and her energy efficiency in different configurations, depending on routes sailed and weather conditions encountered. The digital twin technology is clearly part of our strategy to accelerate the decarbonisation of the maritime industry.”

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