Beyond the Sea, company founded by the navigator Yves Parlier, pioneer of sail propulsion by kite, and Cape Bourbon, Reunion Island player in sustainable fishing in the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, achieve a world first : the equipment of Cap Kersaint, fishing boat, a 100m² SeaKite automated kite traction system.
Beyond the Sea and Cap Bourbon revealed this exclusive innovation on February 3 at the Euromaritime show in Marseille. Installed at the end of 2025 on board the ship, the SeaKite marks a step forward for the decarbonization of fishing activities. “A major symbolic and technical step”, for Yves Parlier, founder of Beyond the Sea. Toothfish longliner of almost 60 meters, built by Chantiers Piriou, Cap Kersaint is the first fishing boat in the world to be equipped with an automated traction kite, demonstrating that sail-based technologies can meet the operational requirements of offshore fishing, including in some of the most isolated and demanding areas on the globe such as the southern seas. Developed by Beyond the Sea, SeaKite is an automated kite traction solution that harnesses wind energy to assist the propulsion of ships. Driven by an intelligent system, it reduces the demand on propulsion motors, and therefore fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. On Cape Kersaint, system integration has been designed to be simple, robust and compatible with the ship's operating program. Launching and recovering the kite is done from the front of the ship ; a control board is dedicated to it on the bridge, and its equipment is integrated into the boat’s equipment.
Less fuel, fewer CO2 emissions
Cap Bourbon studied several decarbonization solutions before choosing sailing assistance by kite, particularly suited to the profile of Cap Kersaint. The vessel indeed carries out long fishing campaigns, approximately 90 days, without refueling, in areas where wind conditions are particularly favorable. Used mainly during transit phases, the SeaKite developed by Beyond the Sea makes it possible to envisage a reduction in fuel consumption, with an equivalent reduction in CO₂ emissions. “The equipment of Cap Kersaint with Beyond the Sea technology is a concrete step forward, serving the sustainability of our activities and the safety of our sailors”, welcomes Tugdual Poirier, director of Cap Bourbon.
Additional savings possible
Cap Kersaint is MSC certified. This project is supported by the Endowment Fund set up by CMA CGM and Bpifrance for the French maritime sector. Eventually, the use of the kite could be extended to certain fishing phases at optimized speed, paving the way for additional savings and optimization of onboard generators. The operational start-up of the 100 m² SeaKite is planned for April 2026.
