Environment
Driven by ecological as well as economic considerations, sailing is making a comeback in maritime transport, attracting more and more shipowners specializing in freight or passenger transport. Wind-powered cargo ships are already sailing around the world. Investigate a renaissance.
Today, 90% of the world’s freight is transported by ship. The impact of this mode of transport is not neutral: it accounts for 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This figure could rise to 17% by 2050 if nothing changes. Decarbonizing merchant shipping is a major ecological issue. But it’s not the only issue at stake: the consumption of these gigantic ships – the largest of which are 400 m long – is also beginning to weigh heavily on shipowners’ balance sheets, especially as the price of oil and its derivatives has a worrying tendency to yo-yo. A case in point?
The average price of low-sulfur fuel oil, found on many ships, has recently dropped to less than US$600 per ton. It cost US$1,200 in June 2022! What will happen tomorrow with tensions between Europe and Russia or the United States? To avoid these fluctuations, which have a serious impact on shipowners’ finances, reducing ship consumption is becoming an economic imperative!
Sailing: a credible alternative to fuel oil?
For passenger transport, Sailcoop can take you to Corsica or Les GlĂ©nans on a sailboat. In three years, the young company has carried 10,000 passengers on its two regular lines. Liner cruise fans are not left out: Orient Express Corinthian is currently under construction. At 220 m long, she will be the world’s largest sailing yacht, with three tilting masts and 4,500 m2 of sails.
ARIANE 6 PARTS FROM EUROPE TO GUYANA. THANKS TO ITS WINGS, THE FREIGHTER HAS REDUCED ITS FUEL CONSUMPTION BY 25 TO 50%.ÂźAYRO/ UNI PRO
INFLATABLE WING BY MICHELIN.ÂźDR
The goal: to sail at 17 knots on the strength of the wind alone…
Freight transport is even more concerned by this sailing revival: Grain de Sail II is a 52 m aluminum monohull with a cargo capacity of 350 tons. Launched at the beginning of 2024, the sailing cargo ship makes between two and three Atlantic loops each year. Two sailors are enough to steer the boat, which carries 1,500 m2 of sails. The results have been so conclusive that the company is already planning to launch construction of the Grain de Sail III, a full-fledged container ship 110 m long, powered by 4,000 m2 of sails and capable of carrying 200 containers or 3,000 tons of cargo. The launch is scheduled for 2027, with the aim of reducing the carbon footprint by 90%. French carrier TOWT is fitting out two PhĂ©nix-class vessels (81m in length – 1,090 tonnes tonnage), and plans to launch six more by 2027. Each of these sailing freighters saves 2,400 tonnes of CO2 per year.
Even more impressive: CanopĂ©e is a cargo ship designed by VPLP (a naval architecture firm with countless victories in ocean racing) to transport Ariane 6 components from Europe to Guiana, the rocket’s launch site. The freighter is 121 m long and powered by 4 363 m2 wings. Initially, the aim was to sail at the same speed as a conventional freighter, with a reduction in fuel consumption – thanks to the wind – of at least 15%. After a year in operation, the reality has far exceeded expectations, with CanopĂ©e consuming between 25% and 50% less fuel than an equivalent conventional freighter, depending on weather conditions. According to the project’s promoters, this represents a saving of 1.3 tonnes of fuel per day, enabling the extra cost of construction (wings, masts, IT system) to be financed in around five years. Simulations on a Panamax-class container ship (260 m long – 4,500 20-foot equivalent containers – 56,000 tons of cargo) would demonstrate fuel savings of 20% on a transatlantic voyage, again allowing profitability within 5 years. Wisamo, Michelin’s telescopic inflatable wing, has just won the tender to equip a French Maritime Affairs patrol boat. The 170 m2 rig is expected to cut fuel consumption by 15% on this 54 m-long boat, scheduled for launch in 2027. Other projects are in the pipeline, including the use of kites to assist propulsion and reduce fuel consumption by up to 20%. A less costly and easier-to-implement solution, applicable to all boats without the need for rigging. The Seawing project developed by German company SkySails has just been acquired by a Japanese shipowner.
Sailing freighters are not a return to the past, but rather the promise of a decarbonized, more sustainable future: a world where ecology and economy go hand in hand.
