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The world's largest sailing cargo ship, the Neoliner Origin, transported a cargo of 1,000 tons of Colombian and Honduran coffee to the Port of Montreal in Canada. The vessel, part of CMA CGM, began its services during the second quarter of this year.
The cargo, belonging to the Canadian company Café William, will allow for the production of over 8.5 million cups of coffee. The operation is part of the company's strategy to reduce the environmental footprint associated with the transportation of its products.
The company, based in Sherbrooke, works with organic and fair-trade coffee cooperatives, and since 2018, under the direction of Rémi Tremblay, has deepened its sustainability initiatives.
After a journey of approximately 20 days, the coffee was unloaded at the Port of Montreal and will subsequently be transported to Café William's facilities in Sherbrooke, where it will be roasted.
The company expects to repeat this type of operation at least once a year, which would allow nearly 40% of its annual coffee volume to be transported by wind propulsion.
The commitment to sail-powered maritime transport is complemented by other measures implemented by Café William. Its plant, built in 2023 and LEED Silver certified, is the first in the world to use large-scale electric roasting systems.
Neoliner Origin
The Neoliner Origin, built by the French company Neoline, part of CMA CGM, was put into service in 2025 and has a length of 136 meters.
The vessel has two 76-meter-high self-supporting carbon masts and can sail using only wind power up to 70% of the time. For situations requiring auxiliary propulsion, it has diesel-electric engines.
According to Neoline, this configuration allows for a reduction of up to 80% in greenhouse gas emissions compared to a conventional vessel of similar dimensions.
The concept of using large sailing ships for commercial cargo transport began to take shape approximately 15 years ago, when French merchant navy officers founded Neoline with the aim of developing a fleet of cargo ships primarily powered by wind energy.
As part of the operation carried out in Montreal, Café William is also preparing a limited edition of its coffee blend called Alizé, made with beans transported by the Neoliner Origin.
After operating in Montreal, the vessel - flying the French flag - moved to the territory of Saint Pierre and Miquelon before heading to the Port of Montoir, near Saint Nazaire, mainland France.
