The ‘Orient Express Corinthian’ was recently christened and handed over to owner Accor at the Saint-Nazaire shipyard of Chantiers de l’Atlantique; the 220m-long vessel is said to be the world’s largest sailing ship.
The ship departed Saint-Nazaire on 2 May 2026, for the Côte d’Azur, from where it will begin its inaugural season in the Mediterranean.
Laurent Castaing, MD Chantiers de l’Atlantique, said: “For more than 160 years, Chantiers de l’Atlantique has been building ships that mark their time. The Orient Express Corinthian is the latest demonstration of this: 220m, 15,000t carried by the wind, three SolidSail sails the result of 10 years of research and development. It is a concrete, technical response to the challenges of decarbonising maritime transport. But above all, it is the work of women and men of rare rigour and passion. I owe them this humble pride. But above all, I would like to thank Orient Express for the trust they have placed in us since the start of this incredible project.”
Sébastien Bazin, Chairman and CEO, Accor, said: “Bringing Orient Express to the sea is a natural fit for this mythical brand: a voyage based on discovery, long time, excellence and elegance. The Orient Express Corinthian embodies this vision with majesty and audacity. Thanks to its sail propulsion, its spaces sublimated by rare materials and by offering an original experience, designed for an international clientele, we have taken up a triple challenge: industrial, architectural and artistic. This sailboat, born from the collaboration and trust that has been built over the past two years between Accor and Chantiers de l’Atlantique, today embodies the best of French know-how and craftsmanship with panache. »
Orient Express Corinthian is the first cruise ship equipped with the SolidSail wind propulsion system, developed by Chantiers de l’Atlantique. Its three rigs of 1,500m² each, culminating at more than 100m and controllable automatically, can ensure, weather permitting, 100% sail propulsion. Rotatable 360 degrees, they allow an optimal position of the sails regardless of the ship’s heading or the direction of the wind. Tilting up to 70°, the carbon masts, designed, developed and manufactured in the Brittany and Pays de la Loire regions, will easily pass under major bridges.
During sea trials conducted in February 2026, in 20 knots windspeed the ship reached a speed of 12 knots, by wind power alone. The sail system is complemented by LNG hybrid propulsion and various energy efficiency features, earning it the best EEDI in its category, considered far ahead of other vessels of this size.
An AI-assisted detection system continuously monitors the presence of marine mammals and objects at sea, to reduce the risk of collisions, while DP technology preserves the seabed by freeing itself from anchorage.
Orient Express Corinthian’s sistership, Orient Express Olympian, is currently being fitted out at Saint-Nazaire.
Image: ‘Orient Express Corinthian’ (credit: Chantiers de l’Atlantique/Jean-Marie Liot)
