MAURIC and NEOLINE launch the Neoliner Origin at RMK Marine shipyard in Turkey

The Neoliner project represents the culmination of a collaboration initiated in 2016 between MAURIC and NEOLINE. At the heart of this initiative: the ambition to revolutionise maritime transport by offering an environmentally responsible Ro-Ro transport solution, capable of reducing fuel consumption by 80 to 90% compared to conventional vessels.

The development of innovative technologies such as composite material masts and sails, the implementation of anti-drift plans, and weather routing systems offers new perspectives for the development of vessels with wind assistance or propulsion.

It was by betting on these developments that Neoline and MAURIC began developing the Neoliner 136 nearly 10 years ago, first by developing a detailed preliminary design of the vessel, allowing Neoline to promote its concept to shippers and finalise its business model.

These preliminary studies, initiated with a Duplex rig and soft sails, then from 2022 with the Solid Sail rig developed in the meantime by Chantiers de l'Atlantique, enabled the development of industrial solutions meeting Neoline's and its clients' specifications: to transport heavy or large-dimension packages efficiently and safely on transatlantic voyages.

This project stands out because its specifications and design choices are all oriented towards maximising wind propulsion efficiency and reducing energy consumption. It is indeed a vessel specifically designed and built for wind propulsion, not merely a cargo ship equipped with rigging.

As Vincent Seguin, President of MAURIC and naval architect in charge of the Neoliner 136 concept design, emphasises: "This project stands out tanks to both its specifications and design choices that are all oriented towards maximising wind propulsion efficiency and reducing energy consumption. From the very first sketches, we have worked in close collaboration with the Neoline team to design a vessel specifically for wind propulsion, not merely a cargo ship equipped with rigging."

In January 2023, RMK MARINE entrusted MAURIC with all the vessel's design studies (Basic & Detailed Design) and technical assistance for the vessel's construction.

For 2 years, the MAURIC team, consisting of experienced naval architects, engineers, and design draughtsmen, has been able to develop and optimise the vessel's design, integrate the two rigs, and validate performance.

In May 2023, after parametric optimisation of the hull through CFD calculations, we conducted tank tests at Force Technologies in Denmark and then at MARIN in the Netherlands, to validate and optimise the vessel's form plan and validate its seakeeping and manoeuvrability.

Performance calculations were also conducted, aimed at refining the expected performance of the Neoliner Origin under sail and in hybrid sail + engine operation, and optimising its mechanical propulsion, appendages, etc. This study was able to capitalise on tank test results, thus offering performance prediction at a very high level of fidelity.

For a 136m long cargo vessel with a 7.65m high garage and incorporating two 70m high foldable masts, the technical challenge of designing the vessel's structure was particularly high.

Numerous finite element calculations enabled optimisation of the vessel's structure to maintain the 5,300t carrying capacity, transfer the rigging loads to the main deck, and respect the vessel's dimensional constraints.