French maritime designer Vela is going back to the future to revolutionize the shipping industry. The company is building a one-hundred percent wind-powered cargo vessel to fuel a new generation of emission-free shipping.
Vela’s concept — named the Avion des Mers (Airplane of the Seas) — is inspired by the technology used in elite ocean racing, such as the Ocean Race and the Vendée Globe.
L’avion was unveiled back in 2023, and after securing over $40 million in initial funding in 2024, the company is on track to deliver its first cargo ship in the fall of 2026.
The wind-powered cargo ship is backed by the Rhode Island-based ocean health organization 11th Hour Racing and the French Public Investment Bank. The inaugural vessel’s parts were constructed in Australia and are being assembled in the Philippines. The first ship is expected to take its maiden voyage to the United States next Autumn, and from then on it will follow a regular transatlantic route delivering goods between the U.S. and the European Union.
Speaking to me on the sidelines of New York Climate Week, Vela Chairman Michael Fernandez-Ferri said, “It’s faster than [traditional] sea freight. It’s cheaper than air freight. It is obviously more carbon efficient than both, but it’s matching the quality of transportation of air freight, and this is the key.”
If Vela’s design proves successful, it could transform the nature of the shipping industry by introducing a low-carbon option into a sector that has traditionally used heavy fuel oil (HFO) and has, until recently, consistently emitted dangerous pollutants like nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide.
Key Shipping Facts
According to Vela, the Avion des Mers will be able to transport 500 pallets of cargo across the Atlantic at an average speed of 14 knots. They anticipate a thirteen-day voyage, including loading, customs, and unloading. They are targeting an annual capacity of 48,000 tons of goods.
Once the full fleet is constructed — Vela plans to build four additional vessels by 2028 — they anticipate one regular transatlantic departure per week. The established route will be between New Jersey and Normandy or Bordeaux.
In the short term, Vela will focus on becoming a reliable transatlantic shipper, but Fernandez-Ferri says the French company will “obviously be looking at opening new routes” longer term. As he says, “the ocean is the limit.”
On October 14th, the French shipbuilders also announced that the trimaran will have CoolSafe sustainable refrigeration technology. Each vessel will be equipped with seven temperature-controlled holds that can sit between 2-8℃ (35.6-46.4℉) or 15-25℃ (59-77℉).
These temperature-controlled spaces will draw power from over 240㎡ of solar panels that will cover the deck, and hydrogenators. Biofuel-compatible generators will serve as backups to ensure that the cold chain, which is vital when transporting sensitive goods such as pharmaceutical products, is never broken.
“With the CoolSafe by VELA sustainable refrigeration system, we enable shippers to access fast, secure, and low-carbon ocean transport for sensitive goods, without having to choose between delivery time, product integrity, or environmental responsibility,” Vela CEO Pierre-Arnaud Vallon said at the announcement. “For the first time, these essential values come together on the Europe-USA route.”
Initially, Vela is expected to focus on delivering sensitive goods and luxury products, including pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, wines, and spirits. Takeda, SMCP, Planet Aura, Guy Cotten, and Echosens are all confirmed clients. However, longer term, Fernandez-Ferri says Vela is “aiming to move from luxury bag to rice bag.”
If all goes according to plan, Vela expects a 99% reduction in carbon footprint thanks to their wind and solar design. Without the need for a ballast, there will be no discharging or leakage of toxic fluids either, ensuring the protection of marine habitats.
The Vela Design
At 220 feet in length, 200 feet in height, and 82 feet in width, the Vela wind-powered trimaran will be significantly shorter than the traditional container ship. However, the triple-hull vessel will be lighter, wider, steadier, and faster while minimizing emissions.
“It is inspired by ocean racing, and this is derived from technology from ocean racing,” Chairman Fernandez-Ferri told me in New York. “Obviously, for the past 40 years, ocean racing has been dominated by trimarans, and there’s a reason for that. They are by design 30 to 40 percent faster than mono hulls if you have a comparable size because they can take more sails, surface, they have more stability, and therefore they can go faster.”
The hull is made of virgin aluminum, and the masts of carbon fiber. Both materials were chosen because of their lightweight yet durable nature. Each vessel will also have an advanced weather routing system that will allow the crew to predict weather systems and chart the most effective course.
With wind power and technology doing most of the work, and all the cargo stored in secured holds below deck, the Vela ships can be crewed by just eight seamen, and with automation becoming a key component of sustainable and efficient shipping, this number could drop further in the coming years.
The Shipping Industry’s Emissions Issue
Sustainability has long been an issue in the shipping industry. Be it air freight or maritime shipping, transporting goods in the modern era has always come at an environmental cost.
According to Statista, container ships are “the biggest contributors to shipping emissions.” The large shipping vessels emit over 200 metric tons of CO2 each year, making up roughly one-fourth of the entire industry’s annual emissions. The shipping industry accounts for roughly 3% of all global emissions but is vital to international trade.
In April of this year, the International Maritime Organization approved a draft of net-zero regulations for the global shipping industry. The text, which will only be enforced beginning in 2027, establishes “a legally binding framework to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” but is not aiming for net-zero until 2050.
If current trends hold, global heating is expected to hit 2℃ above post-industrial levels by 2050. This could cause untold damage and unpredictable weather patterns that could affect humans’ ability to adequately grow food and live in certain regions of the world. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimates that $106 billion of U.S. coastal property will be below sea level by 2050 and crop yields could decline by 10% or more.
Just days ago, the U.S. blocked a global fee on shipping emissions. The fee was intended to accelerate the sector’s move away from fossil fuels, but the U.S. and Saudi Arabia fought hard against any potential tax.
With the international community unable to come to an agreement on how to move the industry forward, private enterprises like Vela could provide proof of concept for far more sustainable means of transporting goods at scale.