The French cooperative Windcoop completed the construction order for its revolutionary open-hatch sail-powered cargo ship, the first of what the group envisions will be a pioneering fleet of ships. The order was placed with Turkey’s RMK Marine, which is also building the sail-powered RoRo Neoliner Origin.
The group reports it has had to overcome major technical and logistic challenges to integrate a wind-powered propulsion system while also ensuring efficient container handling. This was in part solved with asymmetrical sails, the open-hatch design, and the placement of cranes on the opposite from the sails. It helps to provide stability and balance while also giving the vessel total autonomy for loading and unloading.
