Windcoop, a French shipping co-operative, has ordered a €28.5 million sail-powered container ship from Turkish firm RMK Marine. The company said the ship would reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by as much as 90% compared to conventional vessels. In calm conditions a backup diesel engine will take over to ensure continuous navigation.
Founded in 2022 and based in Lorient, the cooperative, which calls itself an “Activist” shipping company, raised €6.8 million through Windcoop’s cooperative structure, with the remaining €21.7 million structured by Crédit Maritime Grand Ouest–Banque Populaire and counter-guaranteed by Bpifrance. The company said this is the first freighter of this size to be financed cooperatively.
“Windcoop’s vocation is to stir things up on maritime transport,” the website says. “As a progressive company we are in favour of a different economic model that empower consumers, users, customers, partners…”
To accommodate both the 210 shipping containers and the three 350-square-meter wingsails, Windcoop chose an innovative design by Dykstra and Groot Ship Design with an asymmetrical arrangement of sails and an on-board crane opposite. The sails were built by French firm Computed Wing Sail.
The sail-powered cargo ship will sail at an average speed of knots (instead of 15 knots for a traditional container ship). The slower speed adds to the ship’s sustainability. An estimated 20,000 whales are killed each year by ships, a number that could be dramatically reduced if ships traveled at reduced speeds. Experts say ships should sail at 10 knots or below to avoid killing marine species.
The container ship will be operational on a dedicate route between France and Madagascar and will enter service in May 2027. The ship will also accommodate 12 passengers who will live “in rhythm with the crew. There will not be luxury cruise proposal, but the possibility of traveling at the rhythm of the wind, comfortably, and living an extraordinary experience aboard one of the first operating cargo sailboats,” the website said.
The co-op said its first cargo will be “spices, chocolate, fruits and other products.”
