Selar is being created as the world’s first sustainable shipping company according to CEO and Founder Sophie Galvagnon,
“It means that we’ll operate a close-to-zero emissions ship, which will be mainly powered by our solar sails,” she said.
The new expedition line is currently building a 36-guest expedition ship at the Chantier Naval de l’Ocean Indien in Port Louis, Mauritius.
Featuring five rigid aluminum sails covered by 20,000 square feet of solar panels, the vessel will be mainly powered by the wind and the sun, she added.
A captain by trade with over 15 years of experience, Galvagnon has dedicated the past ten years of her career to polar expeditions.
“I’ve sailed on icebreakers and cruise ships of different sizes. After a while, I started to feel guilty about my work,” she said, noting that vessels have a significant environmental impact in these regions.
“I was obsessed with the idea that our ancestors, the explorers, succeeded in making very bold adventures with simple ships powered by the wind,” Galvagnon continued.
She said that it was necessary to find a better solution to explore the remote parts of the world.
“So, I started to work on it with a naval architect. That’s how Selar was born,” Galvagnon added.
“We are a shipping company that manages everything, as a ship manager, ship operator, and cruise operator. We have all the chain,” she said.
Selar wants to show a different alternative within the cruise industry, serving as the company leading the way in a new category, which will reach optimum sustainability, Galvagnon explained.
“If you want something that is coping with the climate challenges and the preservation of remote areas, you must go small scale,” she said, noting that ships with several hundred passengers have a significant human impact.
“Going small scale also helps alignwith the new luxury trends, which focus on experiential rather than material aspects.”
Also named Selar, the company’s first ship is scheduled to offer year-round expeditions in the Arctic starting in mid-2026.
