Beyond the sea Towing ships by kite

The aim of the beyond the sea project is to perfect a mechanism for towing ships using a kite. Such a development would significantly reduce consumption of fossil fuels in working vessels - fishing, merchant, naval and scientific - and in leisure boating.

In order to make the parafoils with air-filled cells suitable for towing ships, the project will develop specific techniques and tools for designing, managing, controlling and deploying the system which will enable it to be repoduced and adapted to any type of ship.

As well as reducing hydrocarbon consumption, beyond the sea will make environmental concerns an integral part of the lifecycle of its products by selecting the most sustainable manufacturing processes and by, for example, offering end-of-life recycling of the kites and lines.

The beyond the sea project's ambition is to become a world leader in towing ships by kite. The consortium formed to achieve this will develop and manufacture virtually the whole system in France and will help create a subsidiary industry producing fabrics and lines.