After several successful voyages across the Atlantic Ocean, the cargo sailing ship “Neoliner Origin“ is officially entering its regular service for French liner giant CMA CGM. The ship is able to cut emissions by more than 80%.
The “Neoliner Origin”, built at the Turkish shipyard RMK Marine, is the flagship of the French shipping company Neoline Armateur. Since its delivery in September 2025, it has already completed six Atlantic crossings. What makes it special is that the “Neoliner Origin” is a cargo ship powered primarily by wind. It is 136 m long and has a cargo capacity of 6,300 tdw. Its sail area of 3,000 m2 enables a regular service speed of 11 kn; according to Neoline, its maximum sailing speed to date has been 16.6 kn. Should there be no favourable wind, the vessel can engage a diesel-electric engine, enabling it to reach 14 kn. This technology is said to enable the vessel to save up to 80 per cent on fuel.
In the past, the “Neoliner Origin” has transported, amongst other things, cars for Renault; this summer, the vessel was also chartered by Café William to deliver 1,000 tonnes of coffee from South America to Montreal. Neoline made a one-off change to the ship’s itinerary for this purpose, calling at Puerto Cortés in Honduras and Santa Marta in Colombia.
From this September, the “Neoliner Origin” will operate on a regular service for the French company CMA CGM, which has also supported Neoline as an investor to date. The cargo sailing vessel is now set to be integrated into CMA CGM’s global network as a low-emission solution. The “Neoliner Origin” sails between Europe and North America: its first port of call on the scheduled service is Zeebrugge in Belgium on 21 September, followed by Montoir-de-Bretagne in France. The sailing ship will then proceed to the ports of Baltimore and Halifax.
CMA CGM has already expressed its commitment to the new service. “Powered by wind, the ‘Neoliner Origin’ embodies our commitment to high-performance and sustainable logistics – without compromise,” the shipping company announced. The RoRo vessel is suitable for various types of cargo, including dry cargo, oversized loads and refrigerated goods. Customers can book the service as usual via CMA CGM’s digital platforms.
