Sailing on the Cheap Boatlife
An especially interesting player in this area
is France’s Neoline, which is currently working on a ship specially designed
for “clean transoceanic sea transport, at a stable price and adapted to the
logistical reality and the needs of shipper.” No small feat! The company’s
design features an unusual double-main, with two overlapping sails forward and
two slightly smaller ones aft, rigged together with scaffolding.
A brand sailors know well has already signed on
to have its cargo transported using a Neoline vessel: Benet au plans to send
boats to the U.S. market aboard one of the ships once they’re operational. Another
company with a unique new build in the works is France’s TOWT. Founded in 2011,
TOWT has historically employed an assortment of classics to transport its
goods, which include things like wine, coffee and olive oil.
Over the years, schooners, lugers and ketches
have all been part of the fleet, plying their trade over five separate Atlantic
routes. However, the company is also now working on plans for a 220ft, three-misted
schooner with a projected average speed of 12 knots and a carrying capacity of
1,000 tons. sailing liveaboard lifestyle
Planned routes include those to Portugal, the
Caribbean, Central America and West Africa, taking the company’s already
successful model to a whole new level. So, what does the future of “green”
shipping look like? It depends on who you ask. “It’s my job to sell the concept
that wind works and is a real solution for shipping. It’s our member’s job to
sell the technology they’ve created to make it happen,” says Gavin All wright
of the International Wind ships Association a group that advocates for
wind-powered shipping solutions.
Classics, retrofits and new builds are all
represented in the group’s membership, making it an international alliance
where would-be competitors come together to promote a common goal. This
diversity only makes sense, given that when it comes to reducing pollution from
any industry, there is no silver bullet.
Whether building the infrastructure for
romantic-yet-carbon-neutral ships like Ceiba or creating
technologies to power larger, more conventional commercial vessels, the only
wrong way to cut down on emissions is not doing it. No matter what the solution
(or solutions) ultimately look like, though, it’s exciting to see the dawn of a
new “Age of Sail.”
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