This wind-powered cargo ship wants to cut emissions by up to 96% and deliver faster than conventional sea freight

French startup Vela plans to launch its first wind-powered cargo ship in early 2027. The vessel (under construction and depicted as a rendering) will be capable of transporting over 400 tons of goods on a route across the North Atlantic. Scroll through the gallery to learn more about how wind power could be making a comeback. Courtesy Vela/Nicolas Gagnon/Johan Ong/Guillaume Bick

A 100% wind-powered cargo ship that can dramatically cut transatlantic shipping times and carbon emissions, according to its operator, could launch in early 2027.

French company Vela will run a service between France and the US with its custom-made seacraft. The 220-foot (67-meter) long, 82-foot (25-meter) wide vessel will be able to transport just over 400 metric tons of cargo, and was designed with the input of Vela cofounder François Gabart, a professional yacht racer and the fastest sailor to circumnavigate the globe solo.

The trimaran, with two smaller hulls on either side of a central hull, will be propelled by sails extending 200 feet (61 meters) above the waterline, with onboard power for living and working quarters, plus temperature-controlled cargo holds, provided by solar panels and two hydro generators. Vela says it will travel at an average speed of 14 knots — equivalent to the speed of a modern container ship — between New Jersey and Normandy or Bordeaux, France.