A sailboat that ships cargo across the ocean? This company looks to the past for inspiration

Guillaume Le Grand is working to revive the traditional roots of cargo shipping. As the CEO of the French company TOWT, Le Grand stands on the deck of an 82-meter sailboat docked at Quebec City’s port, where he explains his inspiration to utilize natural resources for shipping.

Centuries ago, ships sailing into the Port of Quebec delivered goods, and this month, TOWT brought that concept back with the Anemos, a modern sailing cargo vessel capable of carrying up to 830 U.S.-format pallets.

"This isn't just a thing of the past; it's a way forward in genuinely decarbonizing shipping," said Le Grand.

He expressed his fascination with the power of wind, stating, "I've always been amazed by wind power, and yet we only seem to use it for recreational purposes."

The Anemos carried French exports like wine, spirits, and jams to the U.S. and Canada, while also bringing Colombian coffee beans to Café William, a company based in Quebec's Eastern Townships, via the St. Lawrence River on Oct. 5.

'Cleanest form of transportation'

Scheduling a wind-powered ship poses challenges, admits Pascal Raby, vice-president of operations at the Port of Quebec. However, he said the port was pleased to participate in the ship’s debut in Quebec.

"This is the first time in many years we've seen something like this, and it's important for us to be a partner in this event," Raby said.

Despite concerns about reliability, Café William co-owner Serge Picard was drawn to the idea. The company discovered TOWT while searching for better methods to import fair trade coffee from Colombia.

"It's the cleanest form of transportation, and one of the oldest," said Picard.

With 325 pallets on board the Anemos, Picard noted that the vessel delivered his coffee faster than a conventional container ship, which makes more stops. Leaving Santa Marta, Colombia, on Sept. 21, the ship reached Quebec City in under 20 days, despite variability in wind conditions.

Is it scalable?

From a supply chain perspective, coffee is a commodity that aligns well with sailboat shipping, according to Sailbal Ray, a supply chain management professor at McGill University. Coffee has steady demand year-round and stores well.

"However, there are many industries where the length of travel time is a critical factor," Ray said.

He emphasized that while the project is environmentally sustainable, its financial viability remains to be seen.

"For this to make a broader impact, it needs to be scalable," said Ray. "The key question is: Can this be done not just with one ship, but with a fleet of 1,000 ships? You have to consider the scale of marine transportation."

Plans for expansion

While the sailboats travel slower than conventional cargo ships, cruising at around 10.5 knots, Le Grand noted that they save time once docked, as there are no shipping containers to unload.

Le Grand aims to expand TOWT’s fleet of two sailing cargo ships by 2027. The main challenge has been competing in a shipping industry focused on speed and cost. Still, he points out that the Anemos makes fewer stops and operates with a smaller crew—just eight people compared to the dozens aboard a standard cargo ship.

"All the companies we work with are committed to decarbonizing," Le Grand said.

He added, "We know our planet could become uninhabitable within just a few centuries. So, what do we want to do? At least, we're going to try."