Here’s an update on a story that we revisit from time to time for the simple reason that sailing cargo ships with auxiliary power just makes sense, particularly to sailors.
The French company Neoline announced this week that their first 450-foot ship had been launched by the Turkish Yard RMK Marine. While primarily a cargo carrier, the new ship will also have cabins for 12 passengers.
The new ship is the first in a line that Neoline intends to build over the next few years to carry cargo back and forth across the North Atlantic Ocean. The initial routes, the company announced, will be from Saint-Nazaire in France to the French Islands St. Pierre and Miquelon, Halifax, Nova Scotia and Baltimore, Maryland.
The new ship will have a two-masted schooner rig with sails flying from articulated wing-booms. This is a very simple and reliable sail plan that can be managed by a small crew, despite the more that 32,000 square feet of sail area.
An intriguing aspect of the design of the rig is its ability to tilt the masts forward so the ship can pass under bridges without sufficient clearance.
Capable of carrying 5,300 tons of freight, the ship will travel at 11 knots instead of the industry standard speed of 18 knots. By adding wind power and reducing speed, Neoline forecasts that they will be able to cut fuel consumption by a factor of five when compared to a conventional ship of this size.
This fuel savings will translate into an 80 percent reduction in operating expense while also reducing carbon emission by a similar amount. Neoline says that commercial shipping is responsible for 7 percent of all carbon emissions, so finding ways to reduce engine exhaust is both good for the environment and for the company’s bottom line.
The new ship will spend the next six months being fitted out before sailing to Saint-Nazaire to begin its first passage across the ocean. A second ship will start construction at RMK Marine this spring and should go into service in 2026.
