PBS News Hour

80% OFF ALL GLOBAL TRADE TRAVELS BY SEA, AND THE SHIPS CARRYING IT ACCOUNT FOR 3% OF GLOBAL GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.

NOW SOME SHIPPING COMPANIES ARE TAKING A NEW TACK AS THEY TRY TO NAVIGATE THE INDUSTRY TO SUSTAINABILITY ON THE HIGH SEAS.

IT MIGHT LOOK LIKE AN OLD SCHOOL TALL SHIP, BUT THIS SHIPPING VESSEL IS CHARTING A NEW COURSE.

>> WE ALWAYS USE THE SAILS AND ONLY THE SAILS.

I MEAN, WE DON'T USE THE ENGINE, EVEN IN REALLY BAD WEATHER.

JOHN: YANN JOURDAN IS THE CAPTAIN OF THE HIGH TECH CARGO CARRIER GRAIN DE SAIL 2.

>> LAST CROSSING, WE DID A MAXIMUM SPEED OF 18 KNOTS AND AN AVERAGE SPEED OF 11 KNOTS, SO - - JOHN: ITS FASTEST CROSSING TOOK JUST 15 DAYS FROM NEW YORK TO SAINT-MALO ON THE WEST COAST OF FRANCE.

THE ONLY POWER: THE WIND.

IT'S A NEW TAKE ON THE CLIPPERS OF YORE - FITTED OUT WITH TWO GIANT CARBON-FIBRE MASTS, AN ALUMINUM HULL, AND SOLAR PANELS AND HYDRO-GENERATORS TO POWER THE SHIP'S ELECTRONICS.

JACQUES BARREAU FOUNDED GRAIN DE SAIL WITH HIS TWIN BROTHER OLIVIER.

THEY USED PROFITS FROM THEIR CHOCOLATE AND COFFEE BUSINESS IN FRANCE TO BUILD THEIR FIRST SAIL-POWERED CARGO SHIP.

>> THE POSITION OF THE GRAIN DE SAIL FLEET IS TO BE AT MINUS 90% COMPARED TO THE USUAL CARBON FOOTPRINT.

JOHN: THAT'S LESS THAN 2 GRAMS OF CARBON EMISSIONS PER TON PER KILOMETER.

BY COMPARISON, THE MOST EFFICIENT CONTAINER SHIPS ON THE SEA TODAY EMIT 10 TO 40 GRAMS OF CO2.

AN AIRPLANE EMITS AS MUCH AS 800 GRAMS PER TON.

>> WE WANT TO NOT ONLY REDUCE THE CARBON FOOTPRINT, WE WANT TO KILL IT.

JOHN: HE ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT COMES WITH A HEFTY PRICE TAG.

>> THE COST OF THE TRANSPORTATION WHEN YOU WANT TO BE COMPATIBLE WITH THE ENVIRONMENT, YEAH IT'S MORE EXPENSIVE, BUT THE NORMAL PRICE IS HERE.

WHEN YOU ARE TRANSPORTING GOODS WITH FUEL, YOU DON'T PAY THE POLLUTION, YOU DON'T PAY THE GLOBAL WARMING, IT'S FREE!

SO IT'S NORMAL THAT IT'S VERY CHEAP.

JOHN: THE EUROPEAN UNION IS TRYING TO CHANGE THAT.

STARTING THIS YEAR, LARGE CONTAINER SHIPS WILL PAY FOR SOME OF THEIR EMISSIONS.

ABOUT 165 CARGO SHIPS AROUND THE WORLD ARE ALREADY USING SOME WIND POWER TO SAVE FUEL.

THE REGULATORY PRESSURE COULD MAKE WIND MORE APPEALING.

THE GRAIN DE SAIL TWO IS HALF THE LENGTH OF A SOCCER FIELD AND CARRIES UP TO 350 TONS OF CARGO, NOT MUCH COMPARED TO THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS CARRIED BY SOME DIESEL-POWERED SHIPS.

>> WE WILL NEED, IN 20 YEARS, TO REDUCE THE QUANTITY OF GOODS TRANSPORTED ACROSS THE OCEANS.

IF WE DON'T SUCCEED TO REDUCE THIS AMOUNT OF GOODS TRANSPORTED, IT'S NOT GOING TO WORK.

JOHN: THE BARREAU TWINS WANT TO LAUNCH A THIRD BOAT IN 2027 THAT WILL CARRY EIGHT TIMES MORE CARGO, HELPING DRIVE DOWN COSTS.

YANN JOURDAN GUESSES HE WOULD EARN FOUR TIMES AS MUCH WORKING ON A BIG CARGO SHIP, BUT SAYS HE CAN'T STOMACH GOING BACK.

HE'S GOT SOMETHING BESIDES MONEY PUTTING THE WIND IN HIS SAILS.

>> I ALSO DO IT FOR MY SON, FOR HIM TO BE PROUD OF WHAT I DID.

"HEY DADDY, WHAT DID YOU DO TO IMPROVE THE SITUATION?," WELL, I DID MY BEST TO MAKE MY JOB IN A CLEAN WAY.