World’s Largest Wind-powered Container Ship To Cut Emission By 90%

Grain de Sail III — Image Credits: Grain de Sail/Linkedin

Grain de Sail, a French sail cargo company, has unveiled its plan to construct a 360-foot-long sail cargo ship capable of carrying 200 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units), or over 3,000 tons.

This vessel, which is expected to be operational by 2027, will expand the company’s operations. The goal is to have up to four similar ships in service by then.

The vessel, named Grain de Sail III, will be driven primarily by wind, with engines only used for port maneuvers. With three masts and huge rigid sails, the ship will have a sail area of nearly 43,000 square feet (4,000 square meters).

The design also has a wood pellet boiler system to provide hot water and heating for the staff. Grain de Sail III will be able to make transatlantic journeys in around 13 days.

Oliver Barreau, Co-Founder and President of Grain de Sail, reiterated the company’s commitment to expanding wind-powered transportation.

He said that to make this type of transportation more accessible and effective, it is necessary to “change scale,” which is the goal of this new, larger vessel.

The ship’s design allows it to travel under key maritime bridges, including the Verrazzano Bridge, with a maximum air draft of 205 feet (62.5 meters).

It will also be equipped with retractable daggerboards to improve upwind speed while limiting the draft when docked.

Grain de Sail believes the new vessel will reduce the company’s carbon footprint by over 90%, emitting only 1 to 2 grams of CO2 per ton of cargo per kilometer. This is expected to be 10 to 20 times lower than the emissions from conventional cargo ships.

The company began operations in 2020 with a small vessel capable of carrying 50 tons, transporting French goods to New York and returning with organic cacao and coffee from Latin America.

Grain de Sail II, launched earlier this year, can transport 350 tons and takes 18 days to cross the Atlantic.

The company wants to market its services to other shipping companies, offering an eco-friendly alternative for transporting raw materials across the Atlantic.

Reference: Grain de Sail

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