De Tukker, the first ship operated by sail cargo company EcoClipper, has set out from Amsterdam carrying chocolate to Porto in Portugal, where it is expected to arrive around 13 May to take on a cargo of wine and olive oil.
The first voyage of the 1912-built sailing vessel with a cargo capacity of 50 to 70 tonnes follows a year-long refit at Talsma shipyard in the Netherlands.
The ship will operate on a regular route across north and west Europe with calls at Noirmoutier, Saint-Nazaire, Penzance, Torquay and London.
Additional ports can be added to the schedule depending on the needs of exporters and consumers, according to EcoClipper, and the ship also has accommodation for up to 12 trainees or travellers.
The ship is handling well as it crosses the Bay of Biscay, said chief executive and founder Jorne Langelaan.
“This is the next step in returning to large-scale transport by sailing vessel at sea,” he said.
The company, set up in 2018, plans to build a prototype three-square-rigged mast EcoClipper500 that can carry 500 tonnes of cargo across global deepsea routes.
Its first cargo was produced by Dutch firm Chocolatemakers for European distribution by sail cargo brokers New Dawn Traders. The cacao used in its production process was shipped from the Dominican Republic by fellow sail vessel Tres Hombres to minimise emissions from its transport.
EcoClipper said cargo space is available for exporters that want to take advantage of this new shipping option.
