From 2023 to 2025, the IR* French Oceanographic Fleet conducted a foresight exercise with the help of the scientific community. This work was particularly motivated by the desire to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Among the tracks identified, the use of veil propulsion has attracted attention. The carbon footprint of oceanographic missions would be reduced while guaranteeing their scientific reliability.
“The design of sailboats capable of competing with the scientific capabilities of the FOF’s oceanographic vessels is a real challenge, by collaborating with committed actors such as the Skravik cooperative, we will realize this ambition.”
Maximilien Simon, Assistant Director of the French Oceanographic Fleet
A CONTINUOUS PROCESS OF TESTING AND ADAPTATION
The Avel Lab project aims to advance the design of oceanographic sailing vessels as a complement to existing thermal propulsion vessels, by evaluating them in various configurations and for different scientific disciplines, during 42 days of campaign.
An approach that is based on a continuous process of testing and adaptations, implementation of different protocols, conducted in close collaboration with the Skravik teams, the French Oceanographic Fleet and the scientific teams on board, so that the evolution of the ship meet the needs of sea research.
During this experiment, the Avel Lab project will define and share a set of concrete benchmarks on the scientific and technical capabilities of the Morskoul ship. These benchmarks will serve as a reference for the future use of small-tonnage veil-propulsion oceanographic vessels, and their potential integration into the resources of the French Oceanographic Fleet.
The project will also contribute to establishing a sector and swarming these practices, by creating territorial dynamics and encouraging other armaments towards a similar approach. More specifically, these effects will be documented by a CIFRE thesis that will focus on understanding the dynamics of the use of oceanographic vessels and the conditions for the development of sailing oceanography, in particular the societal transformations induced by these new uses of the sea.
