Chantiers de l’Atlantique: Steel cut for ‘world’s largest’ sailing ship

French shipbuilder Chantiers de l’Atlantique has actually cut the very first steel for OE Corinthian, the very first wind-powered cruise liner in the Orient Express Silenseas fleet.

The steel-cutting event happened in Saint-Nazaire on March 28, 2024.

“It is with fantastic interest that we are beginning this fantastic experience today together with Orient Express. This ship, a technological marvel which will change the world of high-end travelling, will represent the quintessence of Chantiers de l’Atlantique’s knowledge and will be a standard from an ecological viewpoint,” Arnaud Le JoncourCommercial Director of Chantiers of the Atlantic and Program Director, commented.

OE Corinthian is the very first in a series of high-end cruise liner purchased in early 2023 by French hotel group Accord for its subsidiary Orient Express.

It is thought to be the ‘very first cruise liner’ geared up with the Solid Sail propulsion systemEstablished by Chantiers de l’Atlantique, the system was initially presented in 2022. The sailboat will cruise thanks to 3 stiff sails with an area of 1,500 m2 each. They will be hoised on a balestron rig, with 3 tilting masts reaching more than 100 meters high, able to guarantee approximately 100% of the propulsion in ideal climate condition.

What is more, the ship will be powered by melted gas (LNG) and be hydrogen-ready

Anticipated to be the ‘biggest sailboat on the planet’the vessel will include a length of 220 meters, a width of 25 meters, and a tonnage of 26,600 lots. Set up to set sail in 2026, it will fly the French flag.

The introducing event preceded the finalizing of a wind propulsion pact in between the French federal government and maritime stakeholders.

By signing the pact, the French federal government validated its assistance for those associated with wind-assisted ship propulsion and is devoted to minimizing the ecological footprint of the maritime sector. The federal government stated that the supreme goal is to catch 30% of the worldwide market share with French wind propulsion innovation.

On the very same day, the Pôle Sud Intégré (PSI), a brand-new pre-fabrication workshop, was inaugurated. With an area of 11,000 m2, the PSI has twelve overhead cranes, 10 semi-gantry cranes and 2 robotic welding lines dispersed in 4 naves.

“Reconciling market and ecology is possible and this is the effective difficulty of OE Corinthian, from the Accor group, whose building and construction starts today in Saint-Nazaire, on the Chantiers de l’Atlantique website. This cruise liner has collapsible sails enabling it to be as close as possible to no emissions. Decarbonization is a chance to dominate brand-new markets: Chantiers de l’Atlantique have actually comprehended this, and their brand-new production workshop for pre-assembled modules that we are inaugurating today with Hervé Berville will permit them to speed up to place itself in all emerging low-carbon maritime markets. See you on March 22, 2026 for the inauguration,” Roland LescureMinister Delegate for Industry and Energy, stated.