World's longest cargo sail ship launched in Turkey

The world's longest wind-powered cargo vessel was launched in Turkey on Friday, presenting a promising method to significantly reduce carbon emissions from global merchandise trade.

The 450-foot (136-metre) Neoliner Origin was launched at the Turkish port of Tuzla, and will now undergo six months of outfitting.

The ship, designed by Neoline, a French company, and built by RMK Marine, a Turkish shipyard, is capable of transporting 5,300 tonnes of freight over long distances, thanks to its two masts and 3,000 square metres of sails.

"Thanks to the wind, and by reducing speed from 15 knots, which is equivalent to about 30 kilometres or 18 miles per hour, to 11 knots, we can cut fuel consumption and therefore emissions by a factor of five compared to a conventional ship," Jean Zanuttini, president of Nantes-based Neoline, told AFP.

Overall, the maritime transportation sector, which handles approximately 90% of global trade, is responsible for around three percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the International Maritime Organization.

The ship will depart from Turkey during the summer of 2025 for the French Atlantic port of Saint-Nazaire, and will then start its inaugural voyage in the direction of North America, calling at the French island of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, the US port of Baltimore and Halifax in Canada.

The project received backing from the French government's public funding agency and the French shipping company CMA-CGM.

The shipyard will shortly undertake work on a second vessel of a similar kind.