Good practice:

Sailboat transportation of products and tourists

The environmental impact of shipping includes air pollution, water pollution, acoustic, and oil pollution. Aegean Cargo Sailing promotes environment-friendly transportation of products by sailboat combined with eco-tourism in the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean. Mission of this initiative is to raise awareness of the importance of protecting the marine environment and to promote fair, ecological trade.
In specific, Aegean Cargo Sailing provides Marketing, Commercial and distribution support to SMEs from a variety of businesses that wish to distribute their products (in Greece and internationally); they act as a logistic GREEN transport company.
Aegean Cargo Sailing is harnessing the wind to connect the islands by sailboat and transport local products in the Aegean and the Mediterranean. In doing so, they are reviving a millennia-old, traditional network of commercial sea-routes, first used by the Phoenicians, the Minoans, the ancient Greeks and more recently by the merchant ship owners “karavokirides” who connected the whole Mediterranean Sea. They are opening paid tourism sailing experience positions in their crew for those who want to travel by sail through history and live the Greek maritime traditions.

The initiative is financed by private funds (i.e. own company resources, donations, sponsorships) with the potential to be eligible to a future request for proposals financed by South Aegean Regional Operational Program.

Aegean Cargo Sailing was received with enthusiasm both by local producers (network of agri-food producers, sales shops and restaurants) and institutions/organisations (Greek Ministry of Tourism, Greek Ministry of Environment & Energy, Cyclades Chamber, Fourteen Aegean Municipalities, Slow Food). The promotion of local island products, in European ecological markets takes place among 20 Aegean islands and other Mediterranean destinations.

For a long time, sailing ships were the best and fastest way to transport goods and people. It may seem as something quaint and antiquated but there is the technology to return sailboats in the ocean with multiple benefits for the environment. As from January 2020, International Maritime Organisation has set a limit for sulphur in fuel oil used on board ships of 0.50% m/m (mass by mass), making sailboats a good alternative. For example, the French car manufacturer “Renault” is turning to traditional sailing to reduce emissions in the transatlantic shipping of its cars.
Sailmed already sails in other Seas (Vermont, Maine), providing a good example that sailboats can work well in various circumstances other than the Aegean with the multiple islands’ scenery.