The world’s largest sailing cargo ship crept up the Chesapeake Bay in the quiet, rainy hours of Thursday morning, squeezed under the Bay Bridge and berthed at the Port of Baltimore.

It was there, chiefly, to unload goods — but also to get some repairs.

One of the sails on the wind-powered ship, a rare but growing breed in the world of maritime commerce, was damaged during a spate of bad weather while crossing the notoriously rough North Atlantic Ocean. While in port at the Dundalk Marine Terminal, workers were scheduled to patch up the Neoliner Origin vessel for its two-week return to France.

“The panels will be reinstalled during the Baltimore stopover so that the ship can make full use of its sails on the return trip,” Gabriella Paulet, a spokesperson for the ship owner, Neoline, said in an email Thursday.

The 450-foot-long vessel, the first of its kind ever to call on Baltimore, is on its maiden voyage. It was built in Turkey and departed France in mid-October, first stopping in the French territory of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, off the coast of Canada.

There, technicians boarded and repaired the sail panels as the ship continued to Baltimore.

The ship lowered its sails, standing 300 feet above the water, to fit under the Bay Bridge, which offers about 185 feet of air draft between its roadway and the water.

At the port Thursday afternoon, a barge was positioned next to the ship as it underwent repairs.

The Neoliner Origin is smaller than a typical cargo ship and travels more slowly. But the vessel emits 80% fewer emissions than other ships, making it attractive as the industry explores ways to cut back on its heavy fossil fuel diet.

It’s the largest wind-powered cargo ship in the world, but it is just a “pilot” for Neoline, which expects to see larger ships in the coming years — both from itself and other companies.

“Hopefully, it will be surpassed soon,” co-founder Jean Zanuttini said in an interview last week.

Cargo scheduled to be unloaded in Baltimore included wheeled machinery (like forklifts and cherry pickers) made by Manitou, a boat, and bottles of champagne and cognac.

The ship will regularly call on Baltimore as part of a roughly 28-day rotation. Neoline had scheduled a celebratory event for its first visit in Baltimore, but postponed it after the sail’s damage slowed its voyage.

Instead, the company plans a Baltimore inauguration in early December, during its second visit to the city.