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Neoliner Origin: A Decade of Development Culminates in Nantes Inauguration
13 October 2025, Nantes – Today marked the inauguration in Nantes of the Neoliner Origin, the world's largest 136-metre sailing cargo vessel.
MAURIC directors and team members attended the inauguration of Neoliner Origin, which represents the culmination of ten years of technical studies conducted alongside NEOLINE, engaging a significant proportion of MAURIC's workforce over the past three years.
A SUSTAINED TECHNICAL AND HUMAN ENDEAVOUR
The Neoliner Origin project demonstrates the value of long-term partnership and mutual trust between stakeholders. Since NEOLINE's inception, MAURIC has supported the shipowner through each phase: persuading sceptics through rigorous feasibility studies, reassuring investors with detailed analyses, and ultimately producing the complete construction plans required to build the vessel. This ten-year collaboration has fostered rich technical exchanges and mutual contributions that have transformed an ambitious vision into industrial reality.
A FURTHER MILESTONE IN MAURIC'S DECARBONISATION EXPERTISE
Neoliner Origin represents a natural progression in the environmental innovations MAURIC has developed over fifteen years. Following the first hybrid passenger vessels, the hybrid patrol vessels for the French Navy in 2022, and more recently the launch of ALBA – France's first electric-hydrogen vessel delivered in 2024 – this sailing cargo vessel marks another technological first for the firm.
Symbolising the French expertise in maritime decarbonisation, ALBA and Neoliner Origin came alongside each other during a port call in Bastia last week, bringing together two flagship innovations from MAURIC's portfolio.
THE OPTIMISATION PHASE BEGINS
The vessel's imminent entry into service opens an equally strategic phase: the collection and analysis of real-time operational data. These measurements will validate the numerical simulations performed during the design phase and, crucially, inform the optimisation of future wind-assisted vessels. The objective is clear: to drive further reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from maritime transport.
CONCRETE APPLICATIONS ALREADY UNDER DEVELOPMENT
Without awaiting Neoliner Origin's delivery, MAURIC has already initiated projects applying wind-assisted propulsion to other vessel types: passenger ships, car carriers, bulk carriers and container vessels. The tangible success of Neoliner Origin now provides a concrete example to convince additional shipowners to harness this freely available, unlimited, renewable energy source that creates no conflict with other industries: the wind.
"This project represents the realisation of a shared vision and the unwavering commitment of our teams. Neoliner Origin demonstrates that it is possible to reconcile commercial performance with environmental excellence in maritime transport," said Vincent Seguin, Chairman of the Management Board at MAURIC.
