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 | World’s biggest solar boat arrives in Nha Trang |  | |  | | The PlanetSolar boat
Photo: Courtesy of PlanetSolar.org | By TheSaiGonTimes - Khanh Van in HCMC
The world’s largest solar-powered boat docked in Nha Trang on Vietnam’s central coast on Monday on the latest leg of her epic round the world voyage.
PlanetSolar, a 31 by 15 meter white catamaran, is equipped with more than 500 square meters of solar paneling and can reach a top speed of around 15 knots, equivalent to 25 kilometers per hour.
She is aiming to be the first boat powered by solar energy to circumnavigate the world.
The boat arrived in Nha Trang from Hong Kong after embarking on a world tour from Monaco last September.
While she was approaching Nha Trang, the ship’s logbook states: “It is almost unbelievable that under the amazing sunshine we can recognize the Vietnamese coast. Under cloudbank you can see it with the naked eye. The men are coming out quickly from their cabins and start betting on the arrival time in Nha Trang.
“Again it was a dark, magical night with a few bright lightening rods. In front of us, you can clearly hear the gasps from the blowholes of the dolphins. A mother is showing her baby how to swim as close as possible to the bow. It is just brilliant how these animals are moving in the water.”
PlanetSolar is scheduled to stay in Nha Trang until on Thursday. The crew will welcome visitors and the boat can accommodate up to 40 people during the promotional trips planned at each port of call, according to the PlanetSolar team.
The next stopovers will be Singapore, Mumbai and Abu Dhabi before returning to Monaco.
The 60-ton Swiss-flagged vessel was built in Germany and cost US$26 million.
The PlanetSolar team says the solar boat project has two objectives. The first is to show that current technology aimed at improving energy efficiency is reliable and effective, and secondly to advance scientific research in the field of renewable energy. | | | | | | | | | image name | image name | image name | |
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