Logo Z&B

Menu

Logo Z&B

Our shipping service
in terms of price / on-time performance/CO2

Our aim: to develop low-carbon shipping.
Our network of technical partners means we are able to design a new ship according to your priorities, or if necessary, to refit an existing ship.

Even if building a ship fitted with sails is more costly, the fuel savings made offset the additional construction cost.

In the future, the more stringent regulations become and the higher fuel prices rise, the more the sails will become profitable throughout the lifetime of the ship.

More details

The ship will travel at the speed selected by the customer.
Once the sailing speed is determined, the ship’s propulsion is hybrid: when the wind is favourable it can be harnessed to relieve the engines, and when it is low or unfavourable, the engines will take over.
The choice of speed affects the ratio of use of the sails and the engines.
Regardless of the sailing speed selected, we fully guarantee both this speed and the on-time performance of the ship.

Yes, the savings generated by sails vary tremendously from one project to another, because they depend on multiple factors such as the desired speed, the region, the ship architecture, etc.
However you see it, the most environmentally-friendly energy is that which isn’t consumed, and this is the benefit of sails: reducing fuel consumption regardless of the fuel used.
Alternative fuels (hydrogen, biofuels, synthetic fuels) offer certain environmental benefits in relation to fossil-derived fuels, but still have significant impacts.
The use of wind is by far the most environmentally-friendly method of powering ships.

More details

Is sail-powered
transport more expensive?

No, but building a ship fitted with sails is more costly.

However, the fuel savings made offset the additional construction cost.

In the future, the more stringent regulations become and the higher fuel prices rise, the more the sails will become profitable throughout the lifetime of the ship.

Is sail-powered
transport SLOWER?
And are deadlines GUARANTEED?

Yes, the ship will travel at the speed selected by the customer.
Once the sailing speed is determined, the ship’s propulsion is hybrid: when the wind is favourable it can be harnessed to relieve the engines, and when it is low or unfavourable, the engines will take over.
The choice of speed affects the ratio of use of the sails and the engines.
Regardless of the sailing speed selected, we fully guarantee both this speed and the on-time performance of the ship.

Is sail-powered transport REALLY more environmentally-friendly?

Yes, the savings generated by sails vary tremendously from one project to another, because they depend on multiple factors such as the desired speed, the region, the ship architecture, etc.
However you see it, the most environmentally-friendly energy is that which isn’t consumed, and this is the benefit of sails: reducing fuel consumption regardless of the fuel used.
Alternative fuels (hydrogen, biofuels, synthetic fuels) offer certain environmental benefits in relation to fossil-derived fuels, but still have significant impacts.
The use of wind is by far the most environmentally-friendly method of powering ships.

Le transport à la voile, est-ce plus cher ?

Cargo conventionnel

Cargo à voile

Les voiles génèrent un surcoût de 20% à la construction du bateau, mais cette augmentation des CAPEX est compensée par l’économie de carburant et permet de proposer un service de transport au même prix.

CAPEX (coûts d’investissements)

Armement (équipage)

Technique

Assurances

Coûts d'escales

Carburant

Le transport à la voile, est-ce VRAIMENT plus écologique ?

Le routage météorologique

Le routage météorologique est une brique technologique clef du transport à la voile. Les économies de carburant permises par l’utilisation du vent sont très variables et dépendent de multiples facteurs, notamment de la zone géographique, de la saison et de la vitesse d’exploitation. Ainsi, sur un même trajet, les économies de carburant pourront être parfois très importantes si les vents sont favorables, et parfois limitées lorsque le vent est faible ou mal orienté.

 

La connaissance des trajets et des différents systèmes météorologiques rencontrés par le navire pendant sa traversée est un préalable pour calculer la puissance vélique apportée en complément à l’hélice. Afin de déterminer avec fiabilité la puissance produite par les ailes sur le trajet défini ou la zone géographique d’exploitation retenue, nous faisons appel à un outil de routage météorologique statistique développé par notre partenaire D-Ice Engineering. A partir des performances prévisionnelles du navire sous voiles (les polaires) et sur la base des statistiques de vent des dix années précédentes, il est possible d’estimer et budgétiser plus finement la pertinence économique de cette ligne.

 

Nous pouvons ainsi déterminer à l’avance le degré d’opportunité d’une ligne maritime et budgétiser plus finement la pertinence économique d’une ligne maritime. Une fois le navire en opération, l’outil de routage permet également de définir la meilleure route à emprunter et les régimes moteur à adopter pour tirer le meilleur parti du vent prévu sur la traversée.

Is sail-powered transport more expensive?

Conventional cargo ship

Sail-powered cargo ship

The sails generate a 20% increase in the cost of building the ship, but this increase in CAPEX is offset by fuel savings and means a transport service can be delivered at the same price.

CAPEX (investment cost)

Equipment & crew

Technical

Insurance

Cost of stopovers

Fuel

Is sail-powered transport REALLY more environmentally-friendly?

Weather outing

Weather routing is a key technological component of sail-powered transport. The fuel savings generated by using wind vary greatly and depend on multiple factors, especially the region, the season, and the operating speed. On the same journey, the fuel savings can be extensive if the winds are favourable, yet limited if the winds are non-existent or in the wrong direction.


Knowledge of the journeys and the weather systems the ship will meet en route is a primary factor in calculating the wind power required in addition to the propeller. To reliably determine the power generated by sails on a specific route or an operating region, we use a statistical weather routing tool developed by our partners D-Ice Engineering. Using performance forecasts for the ship under sail (polar) and based on wind statistics for the past ten years, it is possible to accurately estimate the fuel savings achievable on a given shipping line.


We can therefore determine ahead of time the degree of opportunity for a shipping line and more accurately budget the economic relevance of a shipping line. Once the ship is operating, the routing tool can also be used to determine the best route to take and the engine operations required to draw the most benefit from the winds on the route.