Cargo Sailboat Finishes First Transatlantic Voyage

The Neoliner Origin, the world's largest cargo sailboat, completed its maiden transatlantic voyage on Thursday (October 30) despite sustaining damage to its aft sail during the crossing, forcing the crew to rely partially on its motor and remaining intact sail.

The 136-meter-long (446 feet) vessel, equipped with two semi-rigid sails, first stopped in Saint Pierre and Miquelon, a French overseas territory near Canada, before continuing to Baltimore.

The aft sail was damaged in a storm shortly after departure, requiring repairs and limiting the ship's ability to achieve full wind-powered performance.

"It reminds us that this vessel is a pilot vessel. We are discovering how we can manage such a large surface of sails in a transatlantic crossing, especially in the North Atlantic. And we are already late in the year, so getting to the winter storms," Jean Zanuttini, CEO of French shipowner Neoline, which commissioned the boat, said.

"it is a tough start for sure. But it shows also that the vessel is resilient because she was able to arrive with limited delay in Saint Pierre"

The vessel, a "RoRo" cargo ship (roll on/roll off) rather than a container ship, is designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 to 90% compared to traditional diesel-powered cargo ships, as international shipping accounts for approximately 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

"We need to get to an equilibrium with our ecosystem, but, at the same time, we must maintain industrial capacities, because we are more numerous on the Earth and we have a modern life that we need to maintain," Zanuttini told Reuters. 

"Wind propulsion is very interesting for that because it is free energy available everywhere, not always at the same amount, of course, but it is predictable and it is not impacting anywhere else."

Wind propulsion systems, such as those on the Neoliner Origin, have the potential to cut emissions by over 50% on newly designed vessels optimized for wind conditions, according to the UK National Clean Maritime Research Hub.

Other systems, adding sails to existing vessels also exist. Such retrofitted vessels can achieve emissions reductions of 5 to 20% with no operational changes, and up to 30% when optimized for wind conditions.

The ship's design, developed by French naval engineering firm Mauric, aims to balance economic viability with environmental innovation.

"The challenge was to propose a ship that primarily uses wind propulsion while maintaining precise delivery schedules and operating with reduced crew," Vincent Seguin, CEO of Mauric, said.

While the Neoliner Origin draws inspiration from historic sailboats, it differs significantly by incorporating modern innovations such as reduced crew requirements, precise delivery scheduling, and advanced anti-drift systems to meet contemporary regulatory and technological standards, according to Mauric.

The Neoliner Origin can carry up to 5,300 tonnes of cargo, including vehicles, containers, and specialized goods. It arrived in Baltimore loaded with Renault vehicles, machinery, French liqueurs and other merchandise.

With a commercial cruising speed of 11 knots, the ship will operate monthly rotations between Europe and North America.