The world’s first commercial sailing ro/ro, the 136-meter Neoliner Origin, arrived in the Port of Baltimore on October 30, 2025, completing a challenging trans-Atlantic maiden voyage from Saint-Nazaire, France.  

According to Neoline, two days into the voyage, the top panel on the aft main sail, one of the ship’s four sails, was damaged during a severe Atlantic storm. The Neoliner Origin continued its journey in hybrid mode, sailing on the undamaged forward mast sails along with its diesel-electric engine power. 

Technicians were flown to Saint Pierre and Miquelon, a French archipelago south of the Canadian island of Newfoundland, to assist with the sail repairs before it proceeded to Baltimore.

Built by RMK Marine Shipyard of Turkey, the Neoliner Origin is 446 feet long and can carry more than 5,300 tons of cars and farm and construction machinery or 265 twenty-foot containers on three decks.  It also accommodates 12 paying passengers, as well as 13 crew members. The ship will operate a monthly service between Saint-Nazaire, France, and Baltimore, with stops along the way to Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon and Halifax.

The ship is powered by two 295-foot masts and 32,000 square feet of sails on Solidsail rigs designed by Chantiers de l’Atlantique. Neoline estimates that wind will provide 60% to 70% of the vessel’s propulsion, backed by hybrid diesel-electric engines when needed. It typically sails at a reduced speed of 11 knots in order to conserve fuel and reduce emissions.