Wind-powered maritime transport, the challenge of large-scale deployment

The third Wind for Goods trade fair was held in Saint-Nazaire on 19 and 20 June. It was an opportunity to take stock of the prospects for a booming wind-powered maritime transport sector, with a number of projects taking shape, but which is still fragile.

The Wind for Goods show, which has become a must-attend event for all those involved in the wind-powered maritime transport sector, provided an opportunity to take stock of the current state of the industry, as summarised by Gavin Allwright, Secretary General of the International Windship Association: “Today, 71 cargo ships are sailing around the world equipped with a wind-propulsion system, either primary or secondary, and 130 are on order. This figure doubles almost every year. By 2030, we are aiming for 1,200 new ships and 400 retrofits on order.”

These figures show that the momentum is well underway around the world, particularly in France, where the fleet has 11 vessels in operation and 15 on order, compared with just two under construction in 2023. “A very important milestone has been reached, because after a long gestation period, new boats are finally sailing: Canopée for ArianeGroup, Grain de Sail II, Anemos and Artemis for Towt and very soon Neoliner Origin,” says a delighted Lise Detrimont, General Delegate of the French Wind Ship Association. Our country is at the cutting edge, thanks to committed shipowners, a high-performance industry, based in particular on ocean racing, and public aid, with €60m already invested.”

By 2030, the French industry expects to have created 4,600 jobs, generated sales of €1.6 billion and have 500 ships on order. However, the battle is not yet won against the competitiveness of carbon-based transport, which benefits from lower construction costs and still very low fuel prices. To achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has set decarbonisation targets, accompanied by measures to encourage shipowners to transport greener, with penalties for exceeding CO2 emissions ($100 per tonne, then $380). But the text voted on in October will not come into effect until 2028, a long way off for a French wind industry that needs to be consolidated.

“The future of the industry depends on the country’s strategic support for it,” says Lise Detrimont, who, on behalf of Wind Ship, is backing a bill tabled in the French National Assembly at the beginning of June by 60 MPs, aimed at recognising sailing as a pillar of the French blue water economy. “This law must also provide fiscal security for investments in these vessels and mobilise funding”, explains Jimmy Pahun, MP for Morbihan, co-author of the bill and a well-known regatta sailor, who was a pillar of the Tour de France à la voile.

SolidSail Mast Factory to produce one mast per month

Among the main projects currently in the pipeline, Neoliner Origin, which will enter service in August, is a good example of the mobilisation of French players, and particularly those from Brittany, around sail propulsion. This 136 m ro-ro yacht has two 89 m carbon masts, each carrying 1,050 m2 of rigid sail panels and a 450 m2 flexible jib. This rig, the fruit of fifteen years’ development, led to the creation in 2023 of SolidSail Mast Factory, a company which, around Chantiers de l’Atlantique, the company behind the SolidSail project, brings together five companies from the Bretagne Sailing Valley, most of them from the racing world: Multiplast, CDK Technologies, Lorima, Avel Robotics and SMM.

To meet the demand for rigging for transport vessels, the construction of a factory was launched two years ago. It was inaugurated in January in Lanester and will be ramping up over the coming months, employing 35 people by 2026. “It is calibrated to produce one mast per month,” explains Nicolas Abiven, who is in charge of the project for Chantiers de l’Atlantique – and who is also a former racer, having won the 2003 Transat Jacques Vabre with Jean-Pierre Dick.

Following on from the masts for Neoliner Origin, SolidSail Mast Factory is currently producing those for two super cruising yachts for Orient Express, the Accor group’s luxury cruise brand. “We are currently working on finishing the masts for the first Orient Express. Like Neoliner Origin, it will lead the way. But we still have a long way to go before we can halve our costs and compete with the cost of building traditional cargo ships,” comments Nicolas Abiven.

Among the suppliers of innovative rigging, Brittany also counts Lorient-based start-up Cormoran, which has developed a rigid solar sail concept that has already received an order from French operator Selar for a polar expedition yacht being built in Mauritius by Chantier naval de l’Océan indien. “70 metres long, Captain Artic will be equipped with five 35-metre-high aluminium sails covered with 1,000 m2 of solar panels on each side,” explains Laurent Mermier, founder and CEO of Cormoran.

Last April, Lorient-based Windcoop also took a decisive step forward by announcing the construction of its first container ship by the RMK Marine yard. The vessel will be powered by three CWS rigid wings and will enter service in 2027 between Marseille and Madagascar.

Brittany Region adopts a cycling roadmap

There are also numerous projects on the Breton waterways, particularly in passenger transport. The company Le Passeur des îles, which operates in the Gulf of Morbihan, will be launching its first passenger sailing boat in August. With a capacity of 58 people and 15 bicycles, it was designed and built almost 100% in Morbihan. Its neighbour Iliens, which has been operating between Quiberon and Belle-île for five years, is aiming to add a second catamaran to its fleet in May 2026, while Sailcoop is having a new sailing catamaran built for deployment by 2026 on a route in Brittany or the Mediterranean. At Le Caboteur des îles, the focus is on transporting goods in the Bay of Quiberon. The company has launched a fund-raising campaign to acquire Grain de Sail I, a 24 m cargo sailboat.

This effervescence in Brittany is in line with the ambitions of the region’s elected representatives: “The Region has voted for a roadmap to stimulate the ecosystem and give it a boost over the next ten years,” confirms Loïc Hénaff, regional councillor responsible for business relocation, freight and logistics. “We need to experiment with solutions based on the 22 ports owned by Brittany.” With this in mind, the Brittany Region has commissioned a study from the company Zéphyr & Borée on the opportunities for modal shift of goods transport from road to sea. It reveals promising prospects for the development of coastal sailing, depending on the distance between each port.

“Over long distances and with large ships, the economic and ecological benefits of cabotage compared with road freight increase significantly”, says Marion Bolloc’h, project manager in charge of the study. Whether it’s decarbonising maritime freight or replacing road freight, the wind industry is definitely pulling out all the stops.

In 2025, BDI listed 177 Breton players in the wine transport sector. To be found on its online map.