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Trimaran
VELA - The first 100% sailing cargo transport trimaran
published inn°SP20aug. / sept.
purchase
For a regular USA-Europe route, the trimaran option has been proved the most attractive. Firstly, because a large trimaran, 215 feet (65 meters) long, 80 feet (25 meters) in beam, and with two 180-foot (55-meter) high masts, is the fastest. The vessel has been designed by multihull performance specialists VPLP. In their specifications, VELA’s engineers took into account the needs of shippers - to bring goods quickly across the Atlantic. Speed is therefore a priority, and this is also true in economic terms: operating costs are high if the vessel is too slow. Going faster means faster turnarounds, less time at sea and lower energy consumption. The second advantage of this vessel is its very large deck area, well suited to the installation of a large array of solar panels. Hydrogeneration systems are also being investigated. Lastly, the choice of a trimaran guarantees greater stability and comfort for the crew on board, as well as greater safety for the goods being transported (no heeling).
VELA’s transport capacity is 560 euro-pallets, or 51 containers. All the ship’s compartments will be monitored by camera, with humidity and temperature control. The lower hold will be able to refrigerate the most sensitive and fragile goods. Transport time should be between 10 and 15 days from warehouse to warehouse, according to routing simulations based on the last 5 years of North Atlantic weather. It is precisely thanks to high-performance routing that VELA’s shipowners will be able to give an estimated time of arrival down to the hour (as early as 4 days before arrival).
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