Latest IMOCA to be built using carbon fibre remains from Airbus
Vendée Globe skipper Armel Tripon is collaborating with Airbus Technocentre of Nantes to develop a new IMOCA constructed from declassified carbon fibre and the remains of composite materials. This boat will be introduced in 2023 and could mark the beginning of a new industry to recover composites for Airbus, for nautical purposes.
Tripon’s plan is to attempt to develop new alternatives for his next boat, adopting a more sustainable and responsible approach. It’s hoped that this will be an opportunity to revalue end-of-life carbon fibre, while conserving its initial mechanical properties.
“It is with great pride that the IMOCA class receives the announcement of this partnership. Armel Tripon is one the most innovative skippers of the IMOCA class and Airbus is a global, technological benchmark. Reducing carbon footprints in our projects is a priority for the coming years. This partnership is a major step to initiate this movement,” says Antoine Mermod, president class IMOCA.
Aeronautics and competitive sailing both share the use of carbon fibre, which is renowned for its lightness and robustness, and for the Airbus Technocentre, this could be an opportunity to insert itself in a lasting way in the competitive sailing sector, focusing on the development of future composite materials built from the deposit of carbon fibre.
“The Airbus Technocentre is particularly content and proud, from a sporting and industrial point of view, to support Armel Tripon in this ambitious new project. This is a great occasion for Airbus to value our composites and expertise,” says François Paynot, director of Airbus Nantes.
Tripon is calling on companies that could give their name to this innovative future sailing boat, in a bid for funding for 2024’s race.
“Isn’t it up to us, skippers, to initiate a collective realisation and presently become an actor of change?” asks Tripon. “I am committed to leading by example with an innovative project that will attempt to initiate alternatives in terms of nautical construction in order to, in time, master and reduce our carbon footprint. Here we define the sailing of tomorrow, ambitious, responsible and collaborative. It is up to all of us, now, to convince companies to join us in this human challenge.”
