Keel for sailing freighter France-Madagascar

At the Turkish shipyard RMK, the first plate was cut in December for the Miriaka, a new-build sailing freighter of the French shipping company Windcoop. Windcoop CEO Nils Joyeux talks about it.

In Malagasy, the language of Madagascar, Miriaka means ‘together’. Windassist has written before about the plans for this ship, which now promise to become a reality. The cutting out of the first plate marks the concrete start of a maritime project unique in France, both because of its mainly sailing propulsion and its cooperative model. The vessel will operate a line between Marseille and Madagascar from summer 2027.

Before construction, the third fundraising campaign was already launched, which has so far raised over five tonnes. Windcoop now has 2,000 members, which already raised 7.3 million. The new campaign should add one million to that. By the way, the total construction costs have already been covered, with funding of 28.5 million. The new campaign is therefore mainly aimed at covering additional costs, according to Joyeux: renting containers, paying for additional services, recruiting and paying teams. “We are also structuring all the logistics aspects of the future line with our shippers.”

At 94 metres long and having a capacity of 210 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit, standard size of a container), the Miriaka will provide a direct sea link between France and Madagascar, without transshipment, with an announced transit time of 28 to 30 days, compared to 45 to 70 days for current routes. Madagascar ports served include Tamatave, Diego-Suarez and Majunga. The scheduled service has Marseille as its starting point. Currently, about 50 companies have committed to volumes of nearly 1,600 containers a year.

Thanks to three rigid AirWing350 sails developed by Saint-Nazaire-based company CWS (Computed Wing Sail), the Miriaka will mainly sail on wind power. The sails have an asymmetrical profile and can be folded in strong winds and to comply with port regulations. An internal combustion engine provides additional power in low-wind areas, according to an optimised hybrid propulsion scheme.

Joyeux: “We are happy to explore new areas and industrial sectors with this project. And we know, of course, that it will not be a quiet ride. As with all prototypes, chances are that there will be problems at the start. But we are all aware of this, and that is part of our commitment and that of those who follow us within Windcoop: if we fear setbacks, we will not start a sailing container ship. But we are reassured and will proceed in a transparent manner.”

Source: an article by Caroline Britz on the Mer etMarine site.
Photo: Windcoop.

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