Expertise
In the wake of Zéphyr & Borée
Windcoop’s first ship is an 85m container ship with a loading capacity of 1,400 tonnes, i.e. 100 20 feet containers on average. Windcoop directly takes advantage of the co-founder’s experience Zéphyr & Borée, pioneer shipping company in modern sailing maritime transport. We therefore rely on its expertise for the ship designing and construction.
Main drive
- Self-supporting rig
- Balestron sails 1500m
- Automated adjustment
- Air draft of 62m
Handling
- Autonomous vessel in handling equipped with cranes
Crew
- Captain
- Deck: Second captain, bosun, sailors, cook
- Machine: Chief mechanic, machine technician, container technician
Living works
- Hull optimized for sailing performance
- Length: 85m
- Width: 13m
- Draft: 5.5m
Loading capacity
- 1500 tons
- 100 containers equivalent to 20 feet
- Including 20 refrigerated containers
Auxiliary propulsion
- Direct shaft line
- Variable pitch propeller
- Fuel: biodiesel
Passengers
- 12 seats
Flag
- French International Registry
The ship will be able to welcome 12 passengers who will live in rhythm with the crew. There will not be luxury cruise proposal, but the possibility of traveling at the rhythm of the wind, comfortably, and living an extraordinary experience aboard one of the first operating cargo sailboats.
Architectural choices
A sailing-based design
Designed with Dykstra and Groot Ship Design, this ship is thought to be mainly operated under sail, thanks to its long keel and its hull optimized for sailing propulsion. However, it is equipped with an engine for the manoeuvring phases and going through windless areas.
The hundred containers are loaded on three levels, two in the hold and one on deck. The holds can also be used to load “conventional” goods: on pallets and in big bags. The 20 sockets reserved for refrigerated containers make possible the transport of fragile products at a controlled temperature.
The Windcoop cargo is equipped with two balestron masts for a total sail area of 2340 m². The masts are self-supporting (without guying) in order to facilitate the handling of containers and the sails adjustment is automated.
Performance
A low speed with the force of the wind
The average speed of the Windcoop cargo is 8 knots. Within favorable wind periods, the sails enable to accelerate beyond 8 knots, and the engine takes over in windless areas in order to reach windy ones and limit transport time’s variations.
Significant fuel savings
Thanks to sailing, the Windcoop cargo saves up to 90% of fuel depending on routes and seasons. This figure is an average established from travel simulations, carried out in partnership with the D-Ice Engineering firm, and based on wind statistics for the past ten years. This allow us to estimate today and adapt tomorrow each trip’s sail/engine proportion.
Construction
European shipyard
In order to respect our values, particularly in terms of working conditions, and to limit the carbon footprint related to site monitoring by Windcoop’s teams, construction in Europe will be favoured after a tender procedure.
Several shipyards in France and in the rest of Europe have all the qualities required to build the Windcoop ship.
Armement
A human management
Among his commitments, Windcoop wishes to offer decent working conditions to its sailors. We will decide on the hiring and remuneration policy for sailors, and we will pool operational management with Zéphyr & Borée in order to train teams in the specific piloting of our cargo sailboats.