French firm prepares to launch cargo sailing ship in Vietnam

French cargo company and chocolatier Grain de Sail will launch its cargo sailing ship Grain de Sail II in Vietnam in a few months, the company said.

The commissioning of the new carbon-free vessel, the firm’s second cargo sailing ship, will mark another milestone in its efforts to develop a carbon-free logistics business.

The company said the hull of its second ship has already been floated at the Piriou Vietnam shipyard in Ho Chi Minh City’s Nha Be district, and construction is on course to meet the firm’s deadline.

Piriou Vietnam was established in HCMC at the end of 2006 by Piriou, a French leader in shipbuilding and ship repairs for medium size vessels. Piriou was created half a century ago in Concarneau, one of the largest fishing harbors in France.

Grain de Sail is part of an emerging cargo niche using sail-powered vessels to transport small batches of cargo. The French company aims to expand the business as its second ship nears completion.

The contract for the new ship’s construction was signed in February 2022, with Piriou building the hull while Lorima – a French manufacturer of carbon fiber masts and spars used on superyachts and high-performance racing yachts – will provide the rigging.

Gain de Sail started its cargo transport service in November 2020 with a schooner-type 79-foot sailing vessel able to transport 26 pallets (50 tons) of cargo and manned by four crew.

Its second vessel will be nearly 171 feet in length and have an air draft of over 165 feet. It will have a freight capacity of up to 240 pallets (350 tons) which will be loaded on two levels in separate holds.

The new ship will also have a separate tank to carry up to 18 cubic meters of bulk liquid as well as an area to accommodate another 5 cubic meters of liquids in barrels, according to the French firm.