A mock-up of a NEOLINE sailboat that will ship containers across the Atlantic upon its completion in 2023. Photo: Michelin
Michelin Canada announced a new partnership with NEOLINE a French shipping company that is developing large sailboats that will be used to ship goods.
Michelin plans to use NEOLINE to ship tires from their Atlantic based factories to markets in Europe and the United States,
NEOLINE is a relatively new company and upon completion of their first ship, they plan to sail from Halifax (Canada) to Saint-Nazaire – Montoir de Bretagne (France) on a pilot line opened by NEOLINE, which will also serve the archipelago of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, as well as Baltimore.
NEOLINE’s decarbonized shipping service relies on clean and renewable wind energy as the main propulsion for its 136m long cargo ships with 4200 m2 of sails. The company estimates that its ships will produce just 10 per cent of what traditional cargo ships do in terms of a carbon footprint.
Pierre-Martin Huet, Michelin Group Supply Chain Director says the move is part of Michelin’s ongoing strategy to be more environmentally friendly.
Commenting on the impact the switch to wind power could have Huet said, “It will contribute to achieving the objective of reducing CO2 emissions from logistics by 15% in absolute terms between 2018 and 2030.”
NEOLINE plans to open its transatlantic line with a first operating vessel in 2023. With the arrival of a second vessel, scheduled a year later, the Michelin group will gradually entrust NEOLINE with at least 50 per cent of the group’s containers transported on this line.
