Frederic Albert has founded the Compagnie de Transport Maritime à la Voile (Maritime Sail Ship Freighters) and will be shipping his first cargo of wines from the Languedoc region in the south of France to Ireland soon. The sail ship transport will reduce the carbon emissions with an estimated 140g per bottle! The first leg of the transport, from Languedoc across the country to the western harbour in Bordeaux will be by barge on the Canal du Midi. Albert says he has a long waiting list with wine producers who want to ship with his boat.
The first shipment is made by a boat built in 1896, in fact the last French merchant sail ship to be built. He plans to expand his fleet to include seven ships – an investment estimated to around 40 to 50 million euro. AFP
