French builder secures repeat order for 81m cargo sailship

French shipbuilder Piriou has been awarded a contract for the construction of an additional wind-powered cargo vessel for local transport company TOWT.

The vessel will be the second in a series of 81-metre sailing ships. The first ship was ordered by TOWT earlier this year and is scheduled for delivery by the end of 2023.

The second cargo vessel will be delivered to TOWT in the spring of 2024.

The 1,000DWT ships will be designed to operate for up to 320 days at sea per year. Navigation will principally be sail-powered, but the ships will also have a hybrid power mode, with one or two engines operating, at different levels of power.

The vessels will be designed and built with wind as the principal power source, with a sail rigging spread over two masts. In addition to the wind propulsion, each ship will be equipped with two turbocharged four-stroke marine diesel engines.

On the bridge of each vessel, there will be a single command station and its ergonomics will allow the officer of the watch to carry out all the commands and course adjustment operations, excluding manoeuvres, alone.