Carbon-conscious travellers make ocean crossing in sailing freighter

The new sailing cargo ship Artemis docked in New York on Monday afternoon, after a 32-day voyage from Le Havre. It unloaded 1,000 tonnes of French liqueur, champagne, Vilebrequin swimming costumes, Bonne Maman marmalade – and four passengers.

They were part of a test by French startup TransOceanic Wind Transport (TOWT), which has just opened cabins on its fleet of cargo ships launched last year to the public looking for a greener route across the Atlantic.

90% carbon reduction

With 52-metre-high carbon masts and as much as 2,100 square metres of sail area, these ships cruise at an average speed of 11 knots, sometimes as fast as 17 if the wind is favourable. By comparison, an engine-powered container ship sails at an average of about 14 knots. Although TOWT is equipped with a back-up diesel engine used to sail into port, TOWT estimates that its ships reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by more than 90% compared to cargo ships using fossil fuels.
And they pale in comparison to aircraft emissions: “Our carbon footprint is between five and 10 kilos (per person), compared to about a tonne of CO2 if you take a plane (from Paris to New York),” says TOWT’s CEO, Guillaume Le Grand.

Increasing demand

With more and more people choosing not to fly because of climate change, Le Grand notes that demand for low-carbon travel is increasing. Although trains are a popular overland alternative, he saw a gap in the market for transatlantic routes.
“If you wanted to go to America and not emit carbon, two months ago you had to swim or take a small sailboat like Greta Thunberg did,” joked Le Grand, referring to Thunberg’s 2019 trip from the UK to New York to attend a UN climate conference. “Now, with us, you can come with your family and stay in really decent cabins.”
Also according to Tim Williamson, co-director of Responsible Travel, a travel agency that specialises in eco-friendly holidays and is not involved with TOWT, there is increasing demand for “low-carbon travel choices that help you take it easy”. He says the travel agency has seen a 48% increase in requests for train holidays over the past three years, and although he admits he has not seen much demand for transatlantic sailing, more people are looking for experiences that offer a deeper connection to the culture, nature and landscape of the places they visit.
Up to six double cabins are available on each ship for passengers, who share the ship with about seven crew members, while hundreds of pallets of goods are stored in the holds. TOWT plans to roll out a scheduled service from March on its two operational ships, Anemos and Artemis, with voyages between France, the US, Colombia, Brazil and the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe. The company has six more ships under construction and hopes to offer weekly sailings across its fleet by 2027.

Not a cruise ship

Yet the ship’s primary purpose is to take cargo from A to B. “It’s a crossing,” Le Grand stresses, “you certainly don’t get on a cruise ship.”
Cabins are simple: a panelled room, bunk beds or two single beds, a desk, a wardrobe and portholes. And although there is a common room with bookshelves full of French classics and more, there is little other entertainment available, except perhaps some yoga on deck and the occasional workshop by a crew member on sea knots or astronomical navigation.
But guests can relax: they can read or journal, observe the marine fauna from the deck and get to know the crew. There is good food, says Le Grand, including fresh fish, and good broadband internet. “People could just work from the ship,” he adds.

200 euros a day

For the trip from France to New York, TOWT currently charges €2,550 ($2,675), which works out to about €150 ($155) per day, but this is expected to rise to about €200 ($210) per day once the service is upgraded. The price includes accommodation, meals and internet access, and there is no baggage limit, which is an advantage over travelling by air. But guests need time and flexibility: trips from France to New York can range from 15 to 20 days; trips to Brazil or Guadeloupe take up to 25 days, and exact arrival and departure dates can change depending on the weather.
Due to the exceptionally rough weather of the past two weeks, the first passenger voyage had to follow a different route and arrived in New York after 32 days at sea, while a container ship would take about 18 days on average.

Few alternatives

TOWT has the advantage that there are few alternatives offering Atlantic crossings. Container ships used to offer cabins for passengers, but since the Covid-19 pandemic, most intercontinental services have dried up and ships consume fossil fuels. There are cruise ships from shipping company Cunard that offer seven-day crossings between Europe and the US, but these also have a significant carbon footprint. Sailing options are scarce: Another World Adventures offers transatlantic “adventure sailing holidays”, which are sold as an experience rather than a means of transport, and Voyage Vert, a travel company that wants to create a fleet of wind-powered ferries carrying passengers around the world, is only in the early stages of the concept.
TOWT says it has received interest from more than 1,500 people since announcing the service, with different motivations. Much demand comes from people who want to take a low-carbon trip, Le Grand says, but there are also sailing enthusiasts looking for an adventure, or cargo owners who want to send employees to report on their product’s journey.
He estimates that the passenger service will account for about 4 per cent of the company’s revenue. The decision to introduce it was not so much driven by profit, he says, but more by the fact that they wanted to help combat climate change.

A greener alternative

Decarbonising the shipping industry has always been TOWT’s central goal. The sector accounts for 3% of man-made global emissions, and despite attempts to use alternative fuels or develop wind-assisted technologies, the transition has been slow.
Founded in 2011, TOWT wanted to show that sailing is still a viable option for some goods, and by 2022 the company has upgraded its fleet.
Le Grand says that for about $500, you can send a pallet with about a tonne of goods from Europe to the US on one of its ships. Although prices vary, fossil-fuelled container ships cost more than $200 per pallet for the same trip.
He says TOWT generally appeals to high-end customers with non-refrigerated goods, such as coffee, olive oil, wine and spirits. These companies do not mind paying a little more for a slightly longer journey with less frequent sailings, if it means they can reduce their emissions and give their product the “Anemos” stamp – a label with a QR code that shows consumers it was transported by sailboat.
“We are comfortable with making the offer premium,” says Le Grand. “When you come to us, it’s like going to an organic market. You don’t get the cheapest, but you do get an organic product – something that makes a difference to your health and to the planet.”

Read this article on CNN Travel’s site.
Image: TOWT

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