Sailcargo Inc has purchased the cargo vessel Vega Gamleby, which will begin sailing cargo between North and South America in 2022. Vega will sail and carry approximately 148 cubic metres (or 82 tons) of green coffee beans and other dry goods between Colombia and the United States.
The Swedish ship will commence her delivery voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in mid-May 2022. The first cargo will be coffee beans, transported for Canadian coffee importer Café William and will sail in the fourth quarter of 2022.
The purchase of Vega will expedite Sailcargo Inc’s vision of clean shipping and allow the company to start generating revenue this year. This will pave the way for Sailcargo’s first ship Ceiba (still under construction in Costa Rica and expected to be launched in 2023), allowing the company to start shipping while Ceiba is finished.
“The clean shipping industry is growing faster than ever and we want to keep that momentum going while Ceiba is completed.
“We specifically bought Vega because she is built to the highest possible standard and has a stellar international reputation. She’s a beautiful ship,” said Danielle Doggett, CEO and founder of Sailcargo Inc.
Vega is a three-masted square topsail wooden cargo schooner originally built in Sweden in 1909. Vega successfully served as an industrial cargo ship for nearly 60 years.
The new Vega retains just 15 per cent of the original vessel, preserving the rich history, inside a ship built to exacting modern standards.
Vega was restored by the Bergstroms, the Swedish ship-building family, and was relaunched in 2006, after which she won the sail training Tall Ships Races several times. The family now want to see the ship return to her original purpose, as a cargo ship.
“In the future I would love to see what Vega could bring for the society as a whole and as an example of sailing with cargo, it’s a new chapter. This makes me very proud to be part of the revolution of Sailcargo,” Odd Bergström, former owner and builder of the S/V Vega Gamleby.
Once she arrives in the Caribbean, Vega will be refitted to maximise the cargo holds – before beginning her new life sailing products from Santa Marta, Colombia to New Jersey, United States. Café William has booked all northbound cargo voyages to ship their coffee beans.
Members of Vega’s original Swedish crew and Sailcargo Inc crew are currently working together to prepare her for the Atlantic crossing. During the delivery voyage the Swedish crew will pass on Vega’s history and help train a new generation of Costa Rican sailors.
Vega’s stellar international reputation will help expedite Sailcargo Inc’s impact on the clean shipping industry and will energise investment in sustainable projects.
Sailcargo Inc has become internationally known for its construction of Ceiba, a wooden cargo schooner based in Costa Rica. Ceiba has been funded by private impact investors from around the world who have taken action to prove the value of clean shipping.
The company has recently been restructured to offer a diverse portfolio of clean shipping and community development projects.
