The market of Sail Cargo.

DATE: 1st April 2021

TIME: 3 PM CET (2PM GMT)

FEE: FREE!

All webinars will be recorded and shared with EcoClipper newsletter subscribers. If you can’t make the live event, sign up to the newsletter HERE

This second webinar takes you to the heart of what makes the sail cargo industry: the market and the cargo! Jorne Langelaan introduces the different markets and talks with a shipper: Sebastian Brimmers, CEO of Hennes Finest. Sebastian is determined to start shipping the main product of his company, pepper, from Cambodia to Germany by the way of wind!

In principle all cargoes which are currently shipped by motor vessels could be shipped by sail. However, there are certain goods which make more sense to be shipped by wind power. First of all, one needs to realise that shipping costs are linearly linked to the size of vessel one operates. Since, at least for now, sailing cargo vessels are small compared to conventional ships, the freight dues are higher. Thus, until fossil fuel pricing starts to take into account environmental damage, or sailing ships become similar in size to motor vessels, sail cargo will not compete on price. It is at the front of environment, transparency and satisfaction, the culture and stories where sail will start its irreversible comeback.

One of the markets of sail cargo are companies looking to ship cargoes that cannot be produced locally due to climate or other geographical constraints, but are still in high demand at the destination. For example, coffee, cocoa, wines, spirits and spices. One German importer of spices, more precisely of pepper, is determined to start using sail cargo for its transport. This is Sebastian Brimmers, co-founder and CEO of Hennes Finest. This company sources its pepper in Cambodia and its CEO, a sailor himself who has experienced crossing the Atlantic by wind, inspired his partners to take their brand on the road to sail cargo.

Picture : Jorne Langelaan and Sebastian Brimmers at Hennes Finest headquarters.