- The first Neoliner is supported and co-financed by CMA CGM, ADEME Investissement, NEOLINE Développement, Corsica Ferries, Louis Hardy SAS, the Banque des Territoires and the Pays de la Loire Region. The share of bank financing is provided by the Crédit Industriel et Commercial (CIC) and guaranteed by the Public Bank of Investment (BPI).
- The ship, built by the RMK MARINE shipyard
- The Neoliner will be the first one equipped with a SolidSail rigging system, supplied by Chantiers de l’Atlantique.
With a budget of more than 60 million euros, the financing of the first Neoliner was achieved, for the equity part, thanks to the CMA CGM Group, ADEME Investissement, NEOLINE Développement, Corsica Ferries and Louis Hardy SAS (a Saint-Pierre-and -Miquelon company), reports an article published on their website.
A financing combining private and public partners
Additional financing have also been granted by the Banque des Territoires, in the form of bonds for €3.8 million, and by the Pays de la Loire Region, through a reimbursable advance of €1.3M.
The bank part of the financing is provided by the Crédit Industriel et Commercial (CIC), in the form of a tax lease. This financing is covered by a Strategic Projects Guarantee, granted by Bpifrance Assurance Export.
EDF is also participating in the project through the specific agreement to issue Energy Savings Certificates (CEE) signed in 2019, which constituted an unprecedented first in the application of CEE in the shipping sector.
NEOLINE Développement, the initiating company of the project (held in majority by its founders and first investors through the holding NEOLINE & Associés), was able to federate several investors so as to bring its share in the financing, namely the community of investors in participatory financing WiSEED, the company ARCAD, as well as the funds Mer Invest and Pays de la Loire Participations.
Emilie Espanet, Director of the CMA CGM Energy Fund: “The CMA CGM Group, which aims to achieve Net Zero Carbon by 2050, has been fully involved for many years in developing projects and prototypes to accelerate the decarbonization of the maritime sector. Given the importance of the challenges, we are convinced of the need to explore all options. Several technologies will have to coexist to build the decarbonized propulsion solutions of tomorrow.
This is why the CMA CGM Group, thanks to its €1.5 billion Fund for Energies, wanted to become a partner of NEOLINE, whose RORO sailing transport project seems to us to be extremely promising,” said Emilie Espanet, Head of the CMA CGM Fund for Energies.”
A large sailing cargo ship, pioneer of the energy transition in the shipping industry
The 136-meter-long Ro-Ro vessel Neoliner, with two 76-meter-high SolidSail folding carbon masts and retractable anti-drift plans, will be mainly propelled by its
3000sqm sail area. For port maneuvers and punctuality of service, the vessel will also be equipped with an auxiliary engine and MGO (Marine Gasoil) desulfurized
generators (each exhaust will be equipped with SCR, Selective Catalytic Reduction, to suppress Nox emissions) as well as 3 transverse thrusters .
Its loading capacity will be 1200 linear meters (2.8m wide), or 265 TEU, for a maximum weight of 5300 tons of goods.
Its crew will be composed of 13 people (it can be increased to 20 in order to begin trainees and technicians) and the vessel will comfortably accommodate 12 passengers in 6 double cabins.
To build this new generation merchant sailing cargo ship, the RMK MARINE shipyard will carry out this construction thanks to a group of innovative French partners including Chantiers de l’Atlantique, designer and supplier of the innovative SolidSail rigging system; MAURIC, in charge of design studies, regulatory and performance studies for NEOLINE’s range of ships; D-ICE Engineering, a Nantes-based deeptech company that develops advanced routing, navigation, piloting and monitoring systems specially adapted to wind propulsion systems; or Fouré Lagadec, designer and manufacturer of retractable anti-drift fins. In total, more than 30% of the construction price will benefit French companies .
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Source: Neo Line
