Grain de Sail and Piriou sign contract for pure wind powered sailing ship

After a months-long consultation process, Grain de Sail signed with Piriou the contract for the build of its future cargo sailboat on the 11th of February during the One Ocean Summit week in Brest aboard Grain de Sail 1. 

The company from Morlaix, Brittany hence will be adding a second cargo sailboat to its carbon-free maritime fleet in order to expand its transportation capabilities and meet the increasing demand for its coffees and chocolates.

Since November 2020, Grain de Sail operates the world’s first modern cargo sailboat to meet international maritime regulations: an eponymous schooner-type vessel of 24 meter and 50 tons of payload capacity. The fast-growing company has this time designed a ship twice as long in collaboration with the naval architecture firm L2Onaval. The overall budget for the build is kept confidential but will remain below the 10M€ mark. Grain de Sail has selected two market leaders to build its next wind-propelled freighter: Piriou will manufacture the hull in its shipyard in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam while Lorima will provide the rigging and install it in Lorient, France. The launching of Grain de Sail 2 is planned for end of 2023.

Grain de Sail successfully transported by sail around 55% of the cacao mass used in its chocolate factory during 2021 thanks to its first cargo sailboat. This next ship will enable 100% of its raw ingredients to cross the Atlantic carbon-free for use in the chocolate factory and coffee roasting facility located in Morlaix, France. 

Grain de Sail 2, to be registered under French flag, will make transatlantic routes from St Malo (its homeport) exporting wines and other fine products from France and Europe to the United States and bringing back raw ingredients from Latin America to France (cacao mass, green coffees, rums, etc.). It will be built in aluminum and have a payload capacity of 350 tons with up to 238 pallets loaded on two levels in two separate holds. In addition, a separate tank will be able to receive up to 18 m³ of bulk liquid while on deck there will be another 5 m³ for liquids in barrels. 

With 1170 m² of sails, Grain de Sail 2 will be efficient even in light wind conditions and is designed to be maneuvered by two experienced sailors. On board, cabins will accommodate the nine crew members. Crossing of the Atlantic, depending on routing choices and wind conditions, is estimated at around 2 weeks thus permitting three to four round trips per year. Above all, the design of the ship emphasized safety, reliability, maneuverability and robustness. 

Grain de Sail 2 seeks not only to transport goods without carbon emissions it also seeks to maximize reduction of its overall carbon footprint by incorporating renewable energy production systems to provide electricity on board such as solar panels and ydrogenerators. Only a small IMO TIER 3-approved engine will make use of fossil fuels during maneuvers into and out of ports, as well as diesel-generators for safety and to be used only in case of need as a backup to green energies.

Accompanied by L2Onaval, based in Lorient (Brittany), Grain de Sail significantly incorporated first-hand experience of navigating with its first cargo sailboat and was thereby able to reach a concept design for Grain de Sail 2 that will serve as first in the series for the construction of future sister ships. Following a year-long design phase, Grain de Sail made requests for bids with several shipyards and rigging builders. At the end of the selection and negotiation process, Piriou and Lorima (acting as a subcontractor), two companies from Brittany, were retained.

Loïc BRIAND, managing director of Grain de Sail Shipping adds:

“It has been a long journey and a lot of work to reach this point and I am happy to sign this contract which turns into a reality a childhood dream. It is a sailboat designed by sailors for sailors that will be efficient, quick, adapted to our needs and capable of facing all sea conditions safely.”

Vincent FAUJOUR, president of PIRIOU Group says:

“Within a few weeks this is the 3rd sailboat awarded to Piriou which reinforces our commitment and places us at the forefront of carbon-free maritime transportation, by adding a whole range of sail-powered freighters for our clients.”