After two years of shipyard construction at SAILCARGO INC, including a year of structural framing, the three-masted, 45m wooden cargo schooner Ceiba is about to enter a new phase of construction.
The next stage will be to install the hull, or exterior surface, of the ship. Every day construction teams are adapting to new roles as they switch from raising the skeleton of the ship, to planking its hull with long wooden timbers.
Pat Woodland, Shipwright and Owner of Woodland Boatworks said:
“The reality of the business plan I think is important, it’s not just a feel good project, it’s realistic in terms of the numbers. They have figured out what size ship can make it work financially and if you get that boat full and you move it back and forth on the ocean it will start to turn a profit and pay people and pay its way and I think that’s huge.”
All of the wood used at the regenerative shipyard is locally sourced with environmentally responsible practices. In the last year the workforce has grown to over 35 workers, and will continue to add more world class shipwrights and carpenters.
As Costa Rica’s flagship, SAILCARGO INC. is here to demonstrate that a carbon neutral shipping company can not only be financially competitive, but can inspire global change and bring awareness to an often overlooked industry.
The company is funded by private investors who support sustainable businesses and a rethinking of how international trade can evolve.
Ceiba will transport 250 tons of such dry goods as coffee, cacao, cotton and barley; have a regenerative electric engine for navigation in ports and less ideal weather and make a twice annual trip along the Pacific Americas, as far north as Alaska and as far south as Peru.
She is due to be launched in 2021.
