Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) is putting its money into airships, an interesting solution for oversized cargoes.
Louis Dreyfus Armateurs, a 3PL freight forwarder, has formed a partnership with Flying Whales to commercialise the air cargo transport solution.
The service will be based on the use of the LCA60T airship, an innovative airship concept lifted by 180 000 m3 of helium with a payload of 60 tons.
LDA will incorporate the airship solution developed by Flying Whales in its freight forwarding activities.
“The LCA60T is an innovative transport solution that can operate in remote areas where roads are not available, thanks to its hovering capabilities,” LDA said.
“It is also a very interesting solution for oversized cargoes, that are particularly difficult to transport via common roads or railways.”
The airship is 200 metres long and 50 metres wide and it has a substantial payload capacity due to a cargo bay of 96 meters in length, 8 meters in height, and 7 meters in width.
It can even carry larger cargo by using the “under slings” mode.
The use of helium reduces energy consumption and lowers CO2 emissions.
Flying Whales, is also developing an all-electric propulsion system based on the use of green hydrogen, either via fuel cells or helium injected into the turbines.
«Choosing to partner with Flying Whales is totally in line with the LDA’s ambition to decarbonise transport and logistics,» said Edouard Louis-Dreyfus, president of Louis Dreyfus Armateurs.
«By combining our expertise, we want to offer an innovative solution capable of solving particular issues that oversize cargoes face on the first and lasts miles of their voyage. This will be a significant benefit for customers of our maritime logistics services».
«Partnering with LDA means working with one of the most reliable and efficient players in the world of logistics and transport. I’m delighted that our ambitions and know-how will combine to offer an unprecedented transport alternative,” said Sébastien Bougon, president of Flying Whales.
