DHL Partners on Wind-Powered Cargo Across Atlantic
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- DHL Global Forwarding France signed a partnership with French shipping company VELA to launch wind-powered cargo trimaran service connecting Caen-Ouistreham, France, to New Haven, Connecticut, scheduled to begin in early 2027.
- VELA's sailing cargo trimarans will carry up to 600 EU pallets per voyage, targeting a 15-day port-to-port Atlantic transit time.
- The service targets less-than-container-load freight in pharmaceuticals, luxury goods, cosmetics, aerospace, and wine and spirits, using VELA's CoolSafe refrigeration system — powered by onboard renewables — to ship temperature-sensitive pharma cargo compliant with pharmaceutical shipping standards.
- DHL will handle pre-carriage, customs, and warehousing on both ends, with dedicated vessel space and volume commitments set to grow as VELA expands to five ships targeting up to one weekly sailing.
- An independent lifecycle analysis by Carbone 4 found VELA's wind-powered system could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 99% versus other transport options on similar routes.
Why it matters: DHL's dedicated space commitment and VELA's plan to scale to five ships with weekly sailings give this partnership real shot at becoming the first regular low-emissions transatlantic cargo route. The 99% emissions cut documented by Carbone 4 directly addresses Scope 3 pressure for pharma and luxury shippers — DHL handles the land-side logistics so customers get the climate benefit without rebuilding their supply chains.
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