What VELA does

VELA (legal entity SAIL FOR GOODS SAS) is a French maritime transport company developing a fleet of 100% wind-powered cargo trimarans for transatlantic shipping between France and the United States. Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Bayonne with operational support in Caen-Ouistreham and New Haven, the company designs custom 67-meter aluminum trimarans — developed in partnership with naval architecture firms MerConcept (led by co-founder and offshore racing world champion François Gabart) and VPLP Design — that achieve 14-knot average speeds without fossil fuel propulsion. The flagship vessel offers 600 EU pallets of cargo capacity per voyage with under 15-day port-to-port transit, supported by the patent-pending CoolSafe by VELA GDP-compliant refrigeration system (two 2–8°C refrigerated holds and five 15–25°C temperature-controlled holds) developed with T.R. Équipements.

VELA generates revenue through freight shipping fees on a per-voyage basis at quote-based pricing, structured around multi-year (3–5 year) fixed-price contracts and a Pioneer Founding Member program offering priority capacity at competitive rates. The company sells directly to enterprise customers in pharma & medical, fragrance & beauty, fashion, wines & spirits, lifestyle & design, and industrial goods verticals, and distributes primarily through a flagship channel partnership with DHL Global Forwarding France, which holds dedicated vessel allocation and handles pre-/on-carriage, customs, and warehousing. Named customers include Takeda (anchor pharmaceutical client for the inaugural U.S. voyage), Echosens, SMCP (Sandro, Maje, Claudie Pierlot, Fursac), Champagne Thiénot/ARVITIS, and Planet Aura.

The company is pre-revenue and in pre-commercial buildout as of mid-2026: the first vessel is under construction, with the inaugural commercial voyage scheduled for early 2027 between Caen-Ouistreham and New Haven, and a fleet expansion plan targeting five trimarans with weekly departures by 2028–2030. VELA is venture-backed, having closed a $44.76M Series A in September 2024 co-led by 11th Hour Racing, Bpifrance, and Crédit Mutuel Impact.

Name

VELA

Legal name

SAIL FOR GOODS SAS

Website

https://vela-transport.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

VELA is a French maritime company operating 100% wind-powered cargo trimarans for transatlantic shipping between France and the United States, serving enterprise customers in pharma, fashion, wine & spirits, and luxury goods with fixed-price multi-year contracts and a GDP-certified cold chain.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Freight Shipping

NAICS

Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation (48311), Deep Sea Freight Transportation (483111)

SIC

Deep Sea Foreign Transportation Of Freight (4412), Water Transportation (4400), Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

Bulk Dry Cargo Carriers (Capesize/Panamax/Supramax/Handysize) (TLADABAC)

Keywords

• Wind-powered cargo shipping
• Transatlantic freight services
• Sustainable maritime transport
• Cold chain logistics
• Pharmaceutical cargo shipping

Headquarters

HQ city

Fontaine-française

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Freight Shipping Services: VELA generates revenue through freight shipping fees for transatlantic cargo transport. Pricing is offered at competitive rates with fixed prices for 3-5 year contracts. Revenue is earned per voyage based on pallet capacity, with multi-year agreements providing predictable revenue streams. The company offers founding member pricing and standard commercial rates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

VELA designs and operates wind-powered cargo trimaran vessels to provide transatlantic freight shipping services between France (Caen-Ouistreham) and the United States (New Haven). Each vessel carries up to 600 EU pallets per voyage in under 15 days, powered 100% by wind with backup solar and hydro-generation, delivering emissions reductions of 99% versus air freight and 90-96% versus conventional sea freight. The offering includes GDP Pharma certified cold chain transport via the proprietary CoolSafe refrigeration system for temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical, medical, cosmetic, and wine & spirits cargo.

Product overview

VELA offers a single unified product: a 100% wind-powered transatlantic cargo trimaran shipping service. The core product is the sailing cargo trimaran fleet (VELA 1 and planned fleet expansions), which provides fast (under 15 days), reliable, and deeply decarbonized freight transport between France and the United States. This core service is augmented by the CoolSafe by VELA refrigeration system — a patent-pending, GDP-compliant cold chain solution developed with T.R. Équipements that powers two refrigerated holds (2–8°C) and five temperature-controlled holds (15–25°C) via onboard renewable energy. Temperature-controlled transport is GDP Pharma certified and serves pharmaceutical, medical, cosmetics, wine & spirits, and other sensitive cargo sectors. The company also offers a Pioneer Founding Member Program for companies seeking priority access and long-term contracts on early voyages, as well as a Client Portal for account management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VELA Wind-Powered Cargo Trimaran Shipping Service 100% wind-powered transatlantic freight service using custom-designed aluminum trimaran vessels, transporting up to 600 EU pallets per voyage in under 15 days between France (Caen-Ouistreham) and the United States (New Haven), with emissions reductions of up to 99% versus air freight and 90-96% versus conventional sea freight per Carbone 4 lifecycle analysis.
• CoolSafe by VELA Refrigeration System Patent-pending GDP-compliant refrigeration system featuring two refrigerated holds (2-8°C) and five temperature-controlled holds (15-25°C), powered primarily by onboard renewable energy (240m² solar panels and 2 hydro-generators), providing pallet-level temperature control for sensitive pharmaceutical, medical, and wine cargo.
• GDP Pharma Certified Cold Chain Transport Temperature-controlled cargo transport service compliant with Good Distribution Practice (GDP) standards for pharmaceutical and medical products, including real-time temperature and humidity monitoring, secured cargo holds, and 24/7 onboard crew for continuous cold chain integrity.
• Pioneer / Founding Member Program Priority access program for founding companies shipping on the inaugural 2027 voyages, offering multi-year contracts at competitive pricing, reserved capacity on early sailings, ceremony invitations, and opportunities to shape service parameters.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% greenhouse gas emission reduction compared to air freight
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• DHL Global Forwarding FranceflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 22 June 2026Strategic partnership for wind-powered transatlantic shipping. DHL receives dedicated allocation on VELA vessels with volume commitments growing with fleet expansion. DHL handles transport organization, pre-carriage, on-carriage, customs, and warehousing services. Initial route: Caen-Ouistreham to New Haven. Target: up to one weekly departure with 5 vessels by fleet maturity.
• TakedacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 October 2025Pharmaceutical partnership for temperature-sensitive drug transport. First commercial voyage scheduled fall 2026 carrying blood-disease medicine from Caen to New York City. Helps Takeda meet net-zero emissions goal by 2040 and reduce expensive air cargo reliance. Takeda is the anchor customer for inaugural U.S. voyage.
• MerConceptcoreTechnology or IntegrationEngineering and naval architecture partner providing expertise from offshore racing. MerConcept, led by François Gabart, contributes weather routing technology, vessel design optimization, and sailing expertise. Partnered since project inception for technical development.
• VPLP DesigncoreTechnology or IntegrationNaval architecture firm specializing in offshore racing and cargo vessel design. Partnered with MerConcept to design the world's first sailing cargo trimaran, applying 3D modeling and performance optimization techniques from America's Cup development.
• T.R. ÉquipementscoreTechnology or IntegrationFrench industrial cooling and climate control specialist developed the CoolSafe by VELA refrigeration system. System powers two refrigerated holds (2-8°C) and five temperature-controlled holds (15-25°C) using renewable energy from solar panels and hydro-generators.
• Carbone 4coreOthersIndependent consulting firm conducted lifecycle analysis (LCA) of VELA's wind-powered shipping solution. Study concluded VELA offers lowest climate impact of any transport mode on comparable North Atlantic routes. Provides third-party validation of emission reduction claims (99% vs air freight, 90% vs sea freight).
• Bureau VeritascoreOthersInternational classification society providing vessel certification. VELA trimaran certified to highest commercial shipping standards, ensuring compliance with IMO conventions (SOLAS, COLREG, MARPOL, STCW, ISM, ISPS) for safety, security, and environmental protection.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Oceanbird (Wallenius Wilhelmsen): Joint venture of Wallenius Wilhelmsen developing wind-powered car carrier vessels for transatlantic and Pacific routes. Comparable in the wind-powered cargo category but focused on vehicles rather than palletized freight, and backed by a major incumbent.
• Sailcargo Inc. Canadian/Costa Rican company building sail-powered cargo schooners for zero-emission shipping of coffee, cacao, and other commodities. Comparable niche operator in wind-powered cargo with a focus on sustainable supply chains, though smaller scale and a different geography.
• B9 Shipping: UK-based sustainable shipping initiative developing zero-emission sailing cargo vessels for short-sea European routes. Comparable as a wind-powered cargo operator, though focused on intra-European short-sea rather than transatlantic.

Others

• Norsepower: Finnish provider of rotor sail wind-assisted propulsion technology retrofitted onto existing commercial vessels. Comparable in wind-powered shipping category, but Norsepower is a technology supplier enabling conventional ships rather than an operator of purpose-built sailing cargo vessels like VELA.
• Econowind: Dutch supplier of containerized wind-assist units (VentoFoil) for installation on existing cargo ships. Comparable as a wind-propulsion technology provider, but Econowind sells hardware to fleet operators rather than operating a sailing cargo service end-to-end.
• Cargill WASP Project (VPLP/Mitsui): Project-based wind-assisted bulk carrier initiative involving Cargill, VPLP Design, and BAR Technologies. Comparable as a wind-propulsion commercial cargo deployment, but project-based retrofit of a conventional bulker rather than VELA's purpose-built sailing trimaran service.

Broad incumbents

• Berge Bulk: Global dry bulk shipping company that has experimented with wind-assisted propulsion on capesize vessels. Comparable in the broad category of wind-influenced ocean cargo, but a large established bulk carrier rather than a specialized wind-only operator.
• CMA CGM: World's third-largest container shipping line and a French flag operator that has invested in wind-assist projects (e.g., sail-assisted kites, biofuel) on conventional ships. Comparable as a French-flag maritime cargo operator, but VELA's purpose-built wind trimaran is a specialized niche vs CMA CGM's container-line scale.

Direct peers

• TOWT (TransOceanic Wind Transport): French sail-powered cargo shipping company operating wind-powered vessels on transatlantic routes between France and the United States. The most direct comparable to VELA, with similar business model, customer profile (wines, cosmetics, organic goods), and pre-revenue-to-early-commercial stage.
• Neoliner: French sail-powered cargo ro-ro operator building a 136m sailing cargo vessel for transatlantic and Mediterranean service. Closely comparable to VELA in technology approach (sail propulsion), French flag, and enterprise customer targeting in luxury and dry goods.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vela-transport
• Instagraminstagram.com/vela_sailforgoods
• Xx.com/VelaTransport

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about VELA