Seaexplorer (formerly Malizia II): a 0% emission, 100% innovation yacht

Boris Herrmann also took advantage of the Vendée Globe 2020, which was won by Yannick Bestaven, to carry out a scientific mission. On board his IMOCA 60, an automated laboratory gathered data on the temperature, salinity, pH and CO₂ levels in the oceans 24 hours a day, seven days a week. These measurements were sent to the international scientific community to help improve understanding of the mechanisms by which water absorbs carbon. In partnership with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO), Boris also deployed an Argo profiling float off the coast of Iceland.

The Malizia II was rechristened the Seaexplorer, a reference to the smart digital platform of the same name developed by the Kuehne + Nagel group, which supplies information about CO₂ emissions in the maritime freight sector.

In August 2019, the Malizia II enabled Greta Thunberg to cross the Atlantic to attend the United Nations Climate Summit with zero carbon emissions.

To cover the 3,000 nautical miles between the United Kingdom and New York without emitting any carbon, this 18-metre yacht did not use its combustion engine at any point during the voyage. The yacht is equipped with a solar power system and two hydro-generators which produce electricity.

“These two energy sources mean that we can operate all of the systems and electronics on board continuously, including the navigation instruments, automatic controls, desalination system and our ocean laboratory,” explained Pierre Casiraghi and Boris Herrmann.