Questions & Answers
faq
What is EcoClipper?
EcoClipper is a new company led by sail cargo expert Captain Jorne Langelaan. It will develop and launch a line of emission-free, square-rigged ships.
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Drawing on the rich sail cargo experience of the team EcoClipper aims to scale up the successes of current sail cargo operators. More on the About Page
What is sail cargo and why do we need it?
Sail cargo is the use of sailing vessels for transportation of people and cargo around the world. Using the renewable force of the wind, it offers an alternative to fossil fuelled motor vessels.
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Why do we need sail cargo?
Sailing is an emission-free mode of transport. Sail cargo ships transport goods and people without causing damage to the natural world. Sail cargo offers those involved a fulfilling experience whilst not disrupting marine life.
Questions & Answers
EcoClipper 500 prototype
Why does the EcoClipper ship have a traditional design?
Cargo has been transported under sail for thousands of years. These working ships developed and culminated in the fast square-rigged clippers of the mid-19th Century.
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After 25 years on board sail and motor cargo ships, Jorne Langelaan’s experience affirmed that square-rigged clippers are still the best craft for carrying cargo across oceans emission free.
The EcoClipper500 prototype is based on the successful Dutch clipper, Noach. Square-sail rigs have many sails rigged on horizontal ‘yards’. This gives the ship a huge sail area and ensures the sails are both easier to manipulate and subject to minimal wear. EcoClipper500 will have a steel hull – a material familiar to today’s boatyards, which is critical to building the ships quickly. The EcoClipper500 prototype combines old and new methods of construction to create fast and efficient sail cargo ships. Please read our blog post on the prototype here!
Where is the engine in the Prototype500?
The EcoClipper 500 prototype is engineless. This saves space for cargo and ensures the maximum level of sustainability.
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It also demands the highest standards of seamanship in our crews and provides a great platform for sail training. We will employ local tugboat companies for moving in and out of ports, although this will be less than 1% of the sailing time. For our onboard power we will have solar panels, wind turbines and a small emergency generator.
EcoClipper ships will comply with all the regulations set by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).
What if there is no wind?
Sometimes that does happen, and we will set all the sails we have! Fortunately, with the knowledge we have of wind patterns throughout the year,…
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Will I be able to sail on the EcoClipper ships?
Absolutely! An EcoClipper500 prototype will have a maximum of 12 professional crew, 12 passengers and 36 trainees.
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Being a trainee is a fantastic way to travel, learn how to sail a square-rigger and be part of a worthwhile initiative.
How much cargo will the EcoClipper ship carry?
Each EcoClipper500 will carry 500 tonnes of cargo.
Questions or feedback?
Feel free to contact us by using the form below, send an e-mail to info@ecoclipper.org or call +31618510958.
Contact us here
Questions & Answers
Investing - FAQ
Please read the Information Memorandum for more in-depth information in this investment opportunity.
There you will find a financial overview, risks, SWOT analysis and aims of the company.
How does it work?
EcoClipper has partnered with Bondex who provide a safe and easy way to invest by using a portal. Once you have signed in securely, you are able to buy and sell Certificates.
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There are 120,000 certificates in this round.
The Certificates start at €7.00 each.
The minimum amount of Certificates you can buy is 50. If you invest now you will spend a minimum of €350.00. After the first 20,000 Certificates are sold, this amount will go up - so invest now.
There’s no maximum of how many you can buy. If you spend a minimum of €1000, €10,000 or €100,000 you will receive exclusive invitations to various events. See the Benefits section for details.
What do I need to sign up?
- Name
- Address
- International Bank Account Number (IBAN) or iDeal
- Mobile number
Troubleshoot issues with your bank transfer.
When you use a bank transfer, please understand:
Our payment partner Mollie Payments sends the payment instructions to your email account
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When you use a bank transfer, please understand:
Our payment partner Mollie Payments sends the payment instructions to your email account.
If you can not find the instructions, please check your spam folder. Search for our payment provider Mollie Payments.
Make sure to include the correct unique payment reference in the transfer; otherwise, we can not link your payment to your order and the payment can not be processed (it has 16 numbers in this notation: xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx)
Fill in “Stichting Mollie Payments” as the recipient
Only use the address: Stichting Mollie Payments address (See below) for your bank transfer, do not use the EcoClipper office address.
For international bank transfers: make sure that the conversion costs will be with the sender - not the receiver. Otherwise, your payment is not correct and will not be automatically processed.
Use IBAN or SEPA - avoid SWIFT. For your international bank transfer, use this IBAN:
Receiving bank identifier code: DEUTNL2A
Name of receiving bank: Deutsche bank Nederland N.V.
Address of receiving bank: De Entree 99-197
Zip: 1101HE
City: Amsterdam
Country: Netherlands
Beneficiary's name: Stichting Mollie Payments
Beneficiary's postal address: Keizersgracht 126
Zip: 1015 CW
City: Amsterdam
Country: Netherlands
IBAN bank account nr NL70DEUT0265262313 (don’t forget to mention your reference nr!)
Please note
Bank transfers can take up to five (5) working days to be processed.
Your bank's identity might have changed when you verify the BIC - you can check that independently here (example of such change)
Bank transfers will be an international bank transfer to the bank account of our payment partner Stichting Mollie Payment service in the Netherlands.
In case we need to help you with other bank transfer issues, we need as much information as you can give.
Please contact our support team and include:
- a screenshot of the details you filled in in your online banking:
- a screenshot of the transfer as registered in your bank account overview (you can black out all info we do not need to see): we need the transaction id.
- a screenshot of the error message your online banking gives you.
Extra information request by your bank
Please contact us info@ecoclipper.org if your bank asks for any of the following information:
Why is the value of each certificate rising after a certain amount has been sold?
Early investors are thus rewarded for their trust and effort. The rising value reflects the valuation of the company which has more resources to finalize its planning.
Why did EcoClipper decide to build a fleet of both new, purpose-built ships and retrofit ships?
Over the last few years, EcoClipper has found that the demand has increased hugely, yet financing institutions are yet reluctant to invest the required large investments for a new built ship.
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By introducing Retrofit ships, EcoClipper is able to finance the further development of the fleet, continue to spread the word of sail cargo and start hauling cargo, while the banks gain knowledge to oversee the risks of these larger investments.
What do I gain from investing early?
For the first 20,000 Certificates, the price is set at €7.00 each. After that the amount per certificate will be €7.50 for the next 50,000 certificates. The final 50,000 certificates of this segment will cost €8.00 a piece. With further fleet developments the expectation is that future segments of certificates will be of an even higher value.
What will I receive as an investor? Do I get dividends?
The realized profits from the participating interests of EcoClipper Coöperatie U.A. are (partly) paid out to EcoClipper Coöperatie U.A. which uses it for expansion investments in the form of another ship in a new shipping entity.
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In any event, no dividend will be paid to the certificate holders for the first five years; unless the members’ council decides otherwise.
What is the EcoClipper Coöperatie U.A. and why is there only investment in that, rather than separate ships?
The cooperative business structure aims to serve a community who have invested their money for the development of a fleet of emission-free sailing ships.
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In this way cooperative members will be able to finance and part-own a fleet of ships, rather than just one. Also, it reduces risk by having multiple ships owned by one holding company so that if one thing happened to one ship, the company and rest of the fleet would, theoretically, not be too badly affected.
The objective is to finance the ships entirely with equity capital and possibly partly with debt capital at a later stage. The equity portion is contributed from the equity of EcoClipper Coöperatie U.A. contributed by investors, paid on to the entities in which the ships are operated. The ships serve as collateral for the relevant mortgage lenders.
What does the EcoClipper Coöperatie U.A structure look like?
How is the EcoClipper Coöperatie U.A organised?
There are three types of members within the cooperative. If you invest, you will become part of Member A category. Member B and C categories are dedicated towards cooperative employees and customers, agents and brokers.
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The Members’ Council
In the cooperative, the members’ council has all powers that are not assigned to other bodies by law or by the articles of association. For example, the members’ council determines which part of the profit is distributed or added to the capital of the cooperative.
The members’ council consists of eighteen members, who are reappointed every two years. Ten of the members of the members’ council are elected by the members who hold certificates. At the meeting of the members’ council, each member of the council present has one vote. Members’ council meetings are held at least once a year.
The Members’ Board
The board is appointed by the members’ council. The board represents the cooperative. Two board members can also jointly represent the cooperative. The board is authorized to enter into obligations and to make expenditures insofar as these have been laid down by the members’ council in its budget. The members’ council may grant further permission at any time.
What happens to EcoClipper B.V?
EcoClipper B.V will continue with operations of the cooperative and the ships. It will manage the day-to-day runnings of the office, communications, events, marketing etc. EcoClipper B.V will undergo any decisions made by EcoClipper Coöperatie U.A. Members’ Council.
I do not live in Europe, UK or Switzerland, can I invest?
Unfortunately not. According to financial law, those outside of the three areas mentioned are not allowed to invest.
I live in the USA, can I invest?
The certificates have not been and will not be registered under the ‘U.S. Securities Act of 1933’ or with any securities regulator in any State or other jurisdiction of the United States of America.
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What happens if the minimum target amount is not collected? Is the plan not too ambitious?
The plan has been carefully formulated to cover three targets. This ensures that, depending on the amount invested, developments can still be carried out.
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In the unlikely event that even through persistent campaigning no further investments will be attracted, it can mean that the company will have to continue without further fleet growth.
How do I buy and sell my certificates in shares?
Using the Bondex platform, members are able to buy and sell their shares of the cooperative. Read the prospectus for more details.
What if the five-year plan doesn’t come to fruition?
EcoClipper will make sure that all cooperative members are kept up to date with company activity. The plan may change according to opportunities that come along.
Why was Bondex chosen?
The investor portal is powered by the Bondex platform. This platform is an innovation powered by blockchain which ensures that securities can be traded online through a so-called "OTC desk" where investors can perform peer-to-peer transactions. Within a few clicks an investment is completed and paid online through the integration of iDEAL. Dividend payments are also settled on the platform.
Why has EcoClipper chosen blockchain technology??
While blockchain has seen a significant increase in usage and popularity, it's detrimental environmental impact is well-known.
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However, EcoClipper has partnered with Bondex who use Polygon - a type of blockchain which is designed with a lower environmental footprint in mind. "Polygon relies on participants known as validators to verify transactions by pledging tokens as collateral, or Proof of Stake. The PoS approach to mining promises to cut the energy bill by 99.95%." You can read more about Polygon here and its impact on the environment here: https://blog.polygon.technology/why-eco-friendly-projects-choose-polygon/
Questions or feedback?
Feel free to contact us by using the form below, send an e-mail to invest@ecoclipper.org or call +31618510958.