High-Tech Sailing Ship Starts Maiden Voyage With 1,000 Tonnes of Cargo

Anemos, a one-of-a-kind sail cargo ship operated by French carrier TOWT, has departed on her maiden transatlantic voyage from Le Havre to New York with 1,000 tonnes of cargo. As of this weekend, the vessel was making good time with favorable winds, the line said. 

Compared to a conventional boxship, Anemos (ancient Greek for "wind") will reduce CO2 emissions on the voyage by as much as 99 percent. The vessel took two years to build, and it draws on advanced sail technology from ocean racing. Anemos benefits from French expertise in this field: multiple French manufacturers and designers contributed to the ship's design. The hull was built at Piriou's Romania yard, then transferred to Concarneau, France for outfitting. 

Anemos has a cargo capacity of up to 1,000 tonnes, much less than a modern boxship - but its projected carbon intensity per unit transport comes to just two grams per tonne-kilometer, less than a tenth of that of a sub-Panamax container ship. Cargo carried aboard Anemos will come with a special certification of low-carbon transport, including a consumer-facing label on packaging with the voyage number imprinted on it. 

Longshoremen load Anemos' holds for the first time at Le Havre, August 14 (TOWT)

Anemos is the first in a series of eight for TOWT. The operator plans to provide regular services to Colombia, Martinique, Guadeloupe and Brazil - important producing locations for coffee beans and chocolate - along with a North Atlantic route to reach consumer markets in New York. 

On board, high-value edible cargoes can be segregated in dedicated holds. Initial customers include coffee importers Belco and Cafe William, which want to move several thousand tonnes a year of their supply from South America. French cognac and champagne conglomerate Martell Mumm Perrier Jouët wants to use sail cargo to move some of its premium products to New York. (For wine and spirit producers who wish to ship their cargo in barrels, TOWT notes that the ship's motion and the sea air have unique aging properties for alcoholic beverages.)