TOWT Anemos: The Return of Sailing Merchant Ships

Every now and then, a company loudly announces that its line of merchant vessels will include a sailing model. Today, oddly enough, such news does not seem like something out of the ordinary. The fashion for decarbonization and “greening” has affected not only yachting, but also sea freight.

With the trend gaining popularity, there are many enthusiasts who are doing everything possible to ensure the speedy return of commercial sailing ships. Among such enthusiasts is the TOWT company, whose commercial vessel recently successfully completed a transatlantic crossing.

The TOWT Anemos sailboat covered a distance of about 6,700 km, traveling from Le Havre to New York. Anemos was fully loaded with bottles of champagne, cognac and chocolate. The total weight of the cargo was 1,000 tons. 

TOWT Anemos

Anemos was ordered by TOWT from the French shipyard Piriou. The construction of the sailing giant lasted two years and it was recently launched. Anemos is 81 meters long and 15 meters wide. 

The vessel is equipped with two large masts and a complex sail system. All sails are controlled automatically and do not require constant human supervision. A special system takes over all control, but for safety, the presence of an experienced crew member is still necessary. The Anemos has a lifting capacity of 1,100 tons.

Many publications have dubbed the Anemos “the largest merchant sailing ship in history” for the sake of a catchy headline. We hasten to inform you that this headline is… True. But the devil, as usual, is in the details. In the history of shipping, there have been sailing ships of much larger dimensions, and even today there are several merchant ships with sails that exceed the Anemos in dimensions. 

However, Anemos can rightfully be considered the largest sailing ship in the full sense of the word. While other ships use sails as an auxiliary control element, Anemos is a real sailing vessel that moves only due to the force of the wind. According to TOWT calculations, Anemos uses 10 times less fuel than a classic dry cargo ship of similar dimensions. There is a diesel engine on board - for calm weather and entering ports. Just like sailing yachts.

The sailboat's first successful voyage took place quite recently - Anemos left Le Havre on August 20 and arrived in New York Harbor on September 3. In addition to its destination, Anemos managed to visit Santa Marta, Vitoria and Quebec.

About TOWT

TransOceanic Wind Transport (TOWT) specializes in “greening” the shipping industry. The company’s main goal is to reduce the amount of CO2 produced by ships and reduce the human impact on the marine ecosphere. The best way to achieve this, according to the company, is to build and popularize the use of sailing merchant ships.

Guillaume Le Grand, chairman of TOWT, says the Anemos 90% produces less exhaust gas and CO2 than a typical merchant ship. Anemos alone could prevent 3,000 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere each year.

Guillaume adds: “In addition to reducing the carbon footprint, sailboats will significantly reduce air pollution caused by heavy metals in fuel.”

The company plans to build six more such sailboats. At this stage, Anemos is the flagship of the future fleet, another sister ship named Artemis is currently under construction on the slipway in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The future sailboats are expected to be commissioned in 2026-2027.

TOWT said its fleet of eight sailing ships could prevent 40,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year, while the fleet could transport around 200,000 tonnes of cargo in the same time frame.

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05.09.2024