Bureau Veritas Awards Basic Design Assessment Certificate for VELA’s Sailing Cargo Trimaran 

Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore (BV) has recently issued the Basic Design Assessment Certificate to VELA for its pioneering sailing cargo trimaran, marking a major advancement in emission-free maritime transport. 

VELA’s new trimaran, a multihull cargo ship built from aluminium, has an anticipated gross tonnage of about 1,600 GT, and is designed to operate emission-free under normal conditions. 

Throughout the vessel design process, Bureau Veritas provided strategic guidance to help ensure safety and compliance with regulatory standards. The review covered key aspects including the hull structure, rig loads, fire and safety aspects, freeboard, and intact stability, in accordance with a series of rules and regulations including BV NR 206 – Rules for Wind Propulsion Systems, BV NR 467 – Rules for the Classification of Steel Ships, BV NR 561 – Rules for Hull in Aluminium Alloys, and BV NR 600 – Hull Structure and Arrangement for the Classification of Cargo Ships less than 65 m (January 2024). The certificate confirms the vessel meets international quality and safety standards, including SOLAS standards for vessels over 500 UMS. 

During construction, Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore experts will oversee the process to maintain strict adherence to safety and quality standards. After the vessel’s launch, BV will continue to support VELA with periodical surveys to uphold onboard safety, maintenance standards and compliance with environmental regulations.

Pascal Galacteros, COO and co-founder of VELA, said: “The support from Bureau Veritas throughout the engineering phases of our trimaran has been invaluable. The BV experts played a crucial role in transforming this unique and innovative design into a viable, certified merchant vessel. Now, as we transition to the construction phase, we’re not just building a vessel; we’re bringing to life an extraordinary and innovative ship that will set a new benchmark for sustainable maritime transport. This marks the beginning of something truly groundbreaking, and we are thrilled to have Bureau Veritas by our side on this journey.”