Sailing Vessel Melds 21st-Century Tech with 18th-Century Vision
Grain de Sail II, a modern cargo sailboat, 170 feet long, skippered by adventurers out to prove that sustainable seafaring is possible, docked at South Street Seaport’s Pier 17 this past week.
“The vision is to decarbonize maritime transport,” said Jacques Barreau (right), who, with his twin brother Olivier, founded the sustainable shipping company. Their first boat, Grain de Sail I, was designed in 2018 and operational in 2020. But before that, the brothers realized that in order to finance the idea of a wind-powered cargo ship, they needed proof of concept. The easiest way to prove viability? Load it with their own products. “So, we actually started in 2013 with a coffee roasting company. Then in 2016, a chocolate factory. By 2020,” he said, “we were ready to operate Grain de Sail,” transporting coffee beans, chocolate, and fine wine from France to the United States.
In 2024, they launched Grain de Sail II, the current vessel, twice as long as the first model, and with more storage capacity. Carrying as much as 300 pallets of goods, Grain de Sail II unloads at the Elizabeth, NJ terminal when she isn’t visiting South Street Seaport.
Although Grain de Sail II does have a traditional engine, the vessel uses fossil fuel power primarily only when entering and leaving port. Mostly, the ship moves under wind power, resulting in a greater than 90 percent reduction in carbon emissions, compared to a similarly sized vessel powered by fossil fuels.
The primary difference between sail freight today and its historical predecessor is technology and materials: all are calibrated to optimize performance, with the result that Grain de Sail II crosses the Atlantic with a speed comparable to its petroleum-powered competitors.
The next vessel in the Barreau brothers’ fleet will be Grain de Sail III, slated to be three times longer. At 530 feet, it will not only haul far more cargo (at 15,000 tons), but also reduce the price of each ton. “It’s very hard to compete against petrol,” explained Jacques. “One way is to have the biggest vessel possible.” Grain de Sail III, which will switch from pallets to the 20-foot-long intermodal metal containers loaded on conventional cargo ships, is scheduled to launch in 2029.
Mr. Barreau is seeking commitments from shippers to secure financing for Grain de Sail III and proceed with building the new ship. “We need customers, we need cargo and contracts,” he said. “We need American shippers who are interested in reducing their carbon footprint to load with us.” Shipping companies may contact Mr. Barreau and his team at cargo@graindesail.com.