The small cargo sailing family counters widespread helplessness in the face of the climate crisis with hope in the form of concrete action. In doing so, it learns about the tipping points between idealism and economics.
New ideas often emerge on the fringes of society, championed by passionate individuals who are often dismissed as utopians or eccentrics. When Paul Wahlen transported cargo between the islands of the Caribbean on the Avontuur, he was considered an oddity and climate change was still a problem for the future. One of his fellow sailors, Jorne Langelaan, later became one of the three captains who founded the Tres Hombres, years before world leaders agreed on a climate deal in Paris. Today, however, the climate crisis is in full swing and the Paris climate targets are being missed. Wind propulsion for ships is thus coming into focus – far too late.
However, as ideas move from the margins to the centre of society, they often lose their oppositional content. Take Fairtrade, for example: when we founded the first Third World shop in Hamburg in the mid-1970s, we saw ourselves as a political action group. There were lively discussions about which projects in the Global South we wanted to sell goods from. We wrote information sheets and critical brochures that went beyond the topic of fair trade, for example on tourism in developing countries. Last but not least, we participated in the founding of the alliance ‘Bunte Liste “Wehrt euch!” (Colourful List “Fight Back!”), Initiatives for Democracy and Environmental Protection’ – something that would be necessary again today, when, for example, Club of Rome is calling for a ‘movement of movements’.
Our goal was structural change. But the quantities that fair trade sold at that time were symbolic. Then came a label like Max Havelaar, and today Fairtrade products can be found in almost every supermarket. Fair trade has become mainstream; the added value of fairness has been integrated into general consumerism. On the positive side, the quantities sold have grown considerably, which benefits producers in the Global South. On the negative side, however, the political aspirations have been completely abandoned.
A similar development is emerging in sea transport by sail. There are projects that aim to bring about social change. ‘Our most valuable product is people,’ emphasises the managing director of the Fairtransport shipping company, for example. This is about more than just technical analysis. The studies on the consequences of global warming, which now appear on a weekly basis, could drive one to despair. The cargo sailors, on the other hand, want to inspire hope – the emotional component for the necessary visionary departure. These small-scale utopias operate in small niches, suffer notoriously from a lack of money, and some fail before they can even set sail. And for those that are successful, the volume of freight transported is symbolic. But doing nothing is out of the question.
Companies that have been able to convince investors of the idea of ‘green logistics’ are increasingly establishing themselves and entering the market with large new buildings. Larger cargo holds enable lower freight prices, which puts pressure on the small pioneering projects. Even further integrated into conventional sea transport are conversion projects in which freighters powered by fossil fuels are supplemented with auxiliary wind propulsion. Or where even a car transporter is designed to be powered primarily by sails, as in the ‘Oceanbird’ project, a joint venture between the Swedish technology company Alfa Laval and the Wallenius shipping company. Opposition sailors call this ‘greenwashing’.
On this website, we assume that there are no technical solutions for false structures without transformation. The car as an individual means of transport is a prime example of structural waste. Transporting cars under sail cannot change this fundamentally, but it does give a green label to a system that violates planetary boundaries. Nevertheless, we mention such projects because even if the necessary system transformation is implemented in time, there will still be a need for sea transport, albeit on a significantly reduced scale. Projects such as Oceanbird or the sailing freighter ‘Canopée’, which transports Ariane rocket parts across the Atlantic, are gathering experience with new materials, for example. How well do the new technologies, in which the sails are operated at the touch of a button from the bridge, still function after a few years of storms, salt water and UV radiation? Such innovation is also likely to be useful in a system that respects planetary boundaries.
The spectrum is broad. It ranges from idealists who work for free on socio-ecological cargo sailing projects that only transport selected alternative products, to established shipowners who are under pressure from increasingly stringent climate regulations. Or who are responding to the wishes of freight customers who want to include green logistics in their sustainability reports by offering partial wind propulsion. Engineers in start-ups and maritime research institutions are working on new solutions. Even commodity trading companies such as Cargill and aircraft manufacturer Airbus are interested in wind-assisted propulsion.
These diverse and sometimes conflicting worlds are united under the umbrella of the International Windship Association (IWSA). Small niche projects tend to fall into the ‘supporter’ category, while established companies are financially strong enough for full membership. The IWSA operates in three working groups: technology development, market development and policy. For the latter, Secretary General Gavin Allwright tirelessly travels to technical meetings of the UN shipping organisation IMO, international climate conferences, maritime trade fairs and conferences. The IWSA sees itself as a lobbying organisation for wind propulsion, as demonstrated, for example, by the open letter on the occasion of the COP 28 climate conference in Dubai.
The association lists the number of wind-assisted ships on its website and, as of autumn 2025, the figure is well below one hundred: "There are already over 56 large seagoing vessels with wind propulsion systems, over 100 installations and more than three and a half million dwt of shipping capacity. These include four primary wind-powered ships with over 400 GT and seven wind-capable ships. The pipeline currently comprises over 80 orders, upcoming installations and primary wind-powered ships under construction, as well as over 20 smaller sailing cargo ships and small cruise ships that use wind power. Together, this is more than all the large ships currently in operation that run on new low-emission and zero-emission fuels. The IWSA has published a global map showing the current position of ships with wind-assisted installations. Small ships such as the Avontuur or the Tres Hombres are not included. What is striking is that the ships are concentrated in European waters. And given that there are between 50,000 and 100,000 ships, depending on how you count them, 56 ships is an extremely modest start.
The shipping industry is therefore still a long way from solving its climate problem, not just with fine words, but in practice. The market is failing here, so pressure from civil society is needed – transformation!
The sailing freight movement began in the 2000s, when the focus was still on preventing the climate catastrophe that was expected in the future. Almost two decades later, the climate crisis is no longer a future prospect, but an everyday reality. And this in a political climate that hinders and prevents solutions rather than promoting them.
The Time of heat has begun. The disturbances in the planetary system are considerable. For example, soil moisture worldwide has decreased to such an extent that the water formerly stored in the soil contributes more to sea level rise than the melting of the Greenland glaciers. Droughts and floods are becoming a constant threat to agriculture. Food shortages are foreseeable. Declining supply leads to higher prices – i.e. inflation – and thus to social unrest. This favours authoritarian tendencies.
Social-ecological movements, which include at least some of the sail cargo projects, face new challenges: How can we exert influence beyond our niches on society, (consumer) culture, the economy and politics? Since the climate catastrophe has already begun, can we at least mitigate it? What can we contribute to overcoming the crisis in a spirit of solidarity?
