Grain de Sail announces plans to build world's largest wind-powered container ship
Grain de Sail, a pioneer in decarbonized maritime logistics, has announced plans to construct its third cargo sailboat, the Grain de Sail III.
This pure sailing vessel will be a 360-foot container ship, slated for launch in 2027, capable of transporting approximately 200 twenty-foot equivalent units with a maximum cargo capacity of 3,000 metric tons and crossing the Atlantic in just around 13 days.
Grain de Sail III will carry around 200 containers while achieving a decarbonization rate of over 90%, thanks to three masts equipped with 4,000 m² of sails. Its maximum air draft of 62.5 meters will allow it to pass under bridges along major maritime routes (Verrazzano Bridge, Panama Canal, etc.). Its retractable daggerboards will ensure good upwind performance while limiting its draft at the dock. The goal is to design a near-passive vessel through strong insulation. Powerful hydrogenation technologies already developed for cargo sailing ships by Grain de Sail will ensure autonomous and decarbonized production of onboard energy.
As with Grain de Sail II, a wood pellet boiler will provide heating and hot water for the crew's comfort.
Grain de Sail's operational experience gained through its first two cargo sailing ships provides essential and unmatched feedback in the industry. With Grain de Sail III, the company seeks to offer concrete solutions based on its assessment of the needs and limitations of wind propulsion. The Grain de Sail III, registered under the French International Register (RIF), will meet the needs for wind-powered maritime transport identified by the company over several years.
Since 2013, the company has been a coffee roaster and chocolatier, and since 2020, it has also operated a fleet of cargo sailing ships with very low carbon emissions (at least -90%). The ships, registered under the French International Register (RIF), export French products to New York and import organic cocoa and green coffee from Latin America, as well as raw materials for other shipper clients. Through its food production units, maritime operations, and freight forwarding services, Grain de Sail Group aims to gradually expand its commercial presence in the USA and then Europe in the coffee and chocolate sectors, while simultaneously growing its fleet of vessels to strengthen low-carbon maritime logistics across the Atlantic between Europe and the U.S.
