Fly-Box Advances Foil-Borne Container Shipping
Franco-Swiss startup Fly-Box is taking significant strides in maritime logistics by launching a comprehensive techno-economic assessment of its innovative foil-borne container platform. This initiative, conducted in collaboration with a major player in shipping and terminal operations, aims to benchmark Fly-Box’s technology against traditional transportation methods such as trucking and conventional feeder vessels. The assessment follows a productive year for the company, which successfully tested a scaled prototype and is now focused on enhancing efficiency in container logistics.
Transforming Container Logistics
Fly-Box is addressing a critical challenge in container logistics: the transportation of goods between major hubs and secondary ports. Currently, this process is divided between slow feeder vessels and long-haul trucking, which contributes to congestion, higher emissions, and increased costs around busy ports. The company’s solution is a 20-meter foil-borne platform that can transport a single 40-foot container at speeds of approximately 25 knots. This design allows for operations from shallow-draft berths using standard port equipment, offering a faster coastal shipping option that can help alleviate the pressures on busy terminals.
Antoine de Roquefeuil, the company’s chief operating officer, emphasized the potential of Fly-Box to reintegrate maritime transport into the logistics equation. He stated, “With Fly-Box, the sea regains its role in port-to-port transport.” The platform aims to shift trucking back to its most efficient application—serving the final delivery miles. The ongoing study in collaboration with an unnamed industry partner will evaluate various factors, including capital and operating costs, emissions, and how the platform can seamlessly connect with existing terminal systems, vessel-tracking tools, and energy supplies.
Fly-Box’s approach positions its platforms as complementary components within existing multimodal logistics networks rather than as disruptive innovations. By enhancing short-sea connections, the startup believes it can revitalize container traffic to smaller ports that have been overlooked in favor of larger mega-hubs. This strategy not only aims to optimize logistics efficiency but also promotes a more sustainable and balanced shipping ecosystem.
Future Prospects and Funding Efforts
Looking ahead, Fly-Box plans to leverage advancements in software and automation as core differentiators in the maritime industry. The company’s long-term vision includes operating fleets of autonomous or remotely piloted platforms, a goal it considers more feasible at sea than on congested roadways. The innovative foil technology is designed to lift the hull above water, significantly reducing drag and energy consumption by 30-40%, while also enhancing speed and reliability under challenging conditions.
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The startup has drawn on expertise from diverse fields, including America’s Cup racing and hydrofoil engineering, as well as insights from automotive and academic sectors. Following successful tests of its 8-meter demonstrator on Lake Geneva, Fly-Box is preparing for an expanded testing program in the upcoming spring. Currently funded by three family offices from France, Belgium, and the UAE, the company is seeking a fourth investor to complete its pre-seed funding round. This financing will help support the design and construction of its first two full-scale pre-series units.
Founder Alain Thébault expressed optimism about the project’s trajectory, noting that discussions with industry players are intensifying as the prototype continues to develop. “A new, automated building block on the water is starting to take shape,” he remarked, signaling a promising future for Fly-Box and its innovative approach to container shipping.
