A French-made shipping vessel aims to cut its emissions on North Atlantic crossings by up to 80% through the use of two towering fiberglass sails, a supplementary electric motor, and a range of efficiency-enhancing technologies.

The 136-metre Neoliner Origin can carry 5,300 tonnes of cargo and is purpose-built to make its journeys through emissions-free sail power, writes The Loadstar, a supply chain newsletter. Now undergoing trials in the Mediterranean in preparation for its maiden voyage across the North Atlantic this summer, Neoliner Origin isn’t one of those behemoth container ships, but rather a so-called “ro-ro.” Smaller and relatively fast, these “roll on, roll off” vessels are mostly used to ship wheeled goods like cars and agricultural equipment.

Built by the French startup Neoline, the vessel is equipped with two 1,050 square-metre fibreglass sails—each about two-thirds the size of a hockey rink—mounted on a 90-metre tilting carbon-fibre mast.

The sail power alone could cut emissions between 60% and 70%, Neoline says. Another 10% to 20% emissions reductions is possible from the ro-ro’s 900-kilowatt electric motor, waste-heat capture from its 3,300-kilowatt diesel engine, and an innovation that allows the ship’s propeller to spin in reverse when the vessel is at full sail, generating yet more electric power.

The vessel’s route will also contribute to the dent in emissions—a new rotation between the French port of St. Nazaire, to Baltimore in the United States, with stops at St. Pierre and Miquelon near Newfoundland. The ports are closer to where the products were made in France, as well as customers in North America on the other side, writes We Don’t Have Time. This should cut not just maritime but inland transport emissions.

“We are rethinking not only how ships are powered but also more sustainable shipping routes that more directly connect where the cargo is produced and the end user on the other side of the Atlantic,” said Neoline President Jean Zanuttini.

Neoline plans to “demonstrate that it’s possible to succeed as a different type of shipowner and operator,” Zanuttini told The Loadstar in January 2024. “As owners, we can specify exactly what we need from the vessel, technically and operationally.”

In building its wind-powered vessels from keel to mast, and manning their bridges as well, Neoline stands apart from other companies that retrofit vessels with hi-tech sails. These innovations are part of a broader movement in Europe and Asia, where shipping lines are working to address the sector’s tough decarbonization challenges, We Don’t Have Time writes.

Neoline is drawing interest from companies seeking to reduce their own supply chain emissions—like Manitou, a manufacturer of excavators and forklifts, which will have some of its machines on the maiden voyage. Sea transport makes up 30% of Manitou’s freight emissions, which Neoline offers to reduce by up to 90% on the transatlantic crossing. Other clients include the French sailboat builder Beneteau, Renault, and cognac producer Jas Hennessy & Co.

While the Neoline Origin will move more slowly than fossil-fuel powered ships of its size, overall travel times will be reduced by the route selection, the company says. Meanwhile, the emissions savings are substantial: A typical ro-ro produces about 20 grams of carbon dioxide for every tonne of cargo it carries over one kilometre, writes The Loadstar. Neoliner’s ship is expected to produce just three grams per tonne-kilometre.