Neoline’s first sailing cargo ship reaches new construction milestone

September 25, 2024, by Aida Čučuk

The SolidSail rigging has left the Chantiers de l’Atlantique, heading towards RMK Marine in Turkey, where the roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) vessel Neoliner Origin is under construction, marking a milestone in the project, French startup Neoline revealed.

The rigging, composed of two 76-meter carbon masts, tiltable and orientable, as well as 3,000 m2 of sails, is expected to arrive in Turkey in a few weeks.

Neoline said the balestrons will be installed before the planned launch in January 2025. Following this, the masts and sails will be set up, marking the beginning of sea trials before the commissioning of the ro-ro cargo ship in mid-2025.

Neoliner Origin is the company’s first sailing roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) vessel. The newbuilding has a loading capacity of 1,200 linear meters for a maximum cargo weight of 5,300 tonnes. On the passenger side, the Neoliner can accommodate 12 people in six double cabins, in addition to the 13 crew members.

Besides the 3000 m2 of sails and two carbon masts, the vessel will be equipped with retractable anti-drift plans and a weather routing system. This equipment, coupled with a speed reduction to 11 knots (versus 15 knots on a conventionally propelled vessel), should ensure that the main propulsion is by sail, saving up 80% to 90% of fuel (and associated emissions).

The vessel will operate a transatlantic rotation between the ports of Saint-Nazaire, Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, Baltimore and Halifax, departing every month from 2025.

The first steel of the sailing ship was cut at RMK Marine’s shipyard in Turkey in November 2023, while a keel-laying ceremony was held at the beginning of 2024.