The world’s first commercial sailing roro vessel, Neoliner Origin, has been launched at the RMK Marine shipyard in Türkiye.
The vessel, which started construction in November 2023, is being built for the French shipping company Neoline.
It is a 136 m long and 24.2 m wide cargo ship with 3,000 sq m of sail and a pair of foldable 76 m high carbon masts. The vessel also boasts a loading capacity of 1,200 linear meters or 265 20-foot containers. The maximum cargo weight of the sailing roro is 5,300 tonnes.
RMK Marine said that the vessel would reduce fossil fuel consumption by over 80% and would “harness the power of the wind as its primary driving force”. As far as GHG emissions are concerned, they can be reduced by up to 90%.
This unique vessel will be operational in the summer of 2025 with first trials planned for the spring. It will operate on a route between Saint-Nazaire and Baltimore. On its way, it will make stops in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon and Halifax.
