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Pierre Casiraghi’s sailing race team Malizia will gather
valuable data on the global circulation of CO2 in the
Vendée Globe race, which Boris Herrmann will contest in November 2020. -
The toughest regatta in the world will take Herrmann to the
Antarctic Ocean, which is difficult to access and of particular
interest in the field of science. - BMW contributes to on-board electronic measuring equipment.
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Protection of the oceans is becoming of increasing
importance in education materials in schools. -
Sustainability is an integral component of the corporate
strategy of the BMW Group.
Hamburg/Munich. When Boris Herrmann becomes the first German
to contest the toughest regatta in the world, the Vendée Globe, in
2020, he not only wants to sail around the globe producing zero
emissions. Team Malizia will also use the action to gather important
data for climate research, while also making school children more
aware of the need to protect the oceans of the world. This objective
is cumulated in the initiative “Ocean Challenge”, which is supported
by team partner BMW. BMW is involved in the electronic measuring
equipment, which will be integrated on board the IMOCA 60.
Sustainability is an integral part of the corporate strategy of the
BMW Group. Moreover, BMW and the Team Malizia engineers are working
on the development of a zero emissions alternative to the 380kg
diesel engine (including fuel), which is also on board for safety
reasons. An electric engine with BMW i battery technology is one
potential option for crossing the oceans without fossil fuels.
Throughout the campaign, Herrmann will sail a total of 70,000
nautical miles, in part with Pierre Casiraghi, the Malizia team
founder and youngest son of Princess Caroline of Monaco. In
collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in
Hamburg, and the Kiel GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, the
racing yacht “Malizia” as a sensor unit on board, which measures the
C02 and salt content, as well as the temperature of the
water. Team Malizia will be packing an extra 35 kilograms of weight on
board and using an extra 24 watts of electricity to collect the
valuable data.
Scientists believe that at least 30 percent of the carbon dioxide in
the atmosphere is absorbed by the oceans, three quarters of which is
in the Antarctic Ocean. This affects the living organisms in the
underwater world. Investigating and counteracting the consequences is
a crucial task for the future of the next generation. At the same
time, there is only reliable data for around five percent of the
oceans – which is true of the Antarctic Ocean in particular, where
there is no commercial seafaring. In the Vendée Globe, Herrmann will
sail in precisely this region, and provide the rare data that climate
research so badly needs in order to better understand and model the
global circulation of CO2.
Sustainability, innovations and intensive research is also the path
that the BMW Group is taking with the BMW i, a comprehensive concept
for sustainable and visionary mobility. Which is why BMW is not only
collaborating with Team Malizia to develop a zero emissions solution
for the on-board electronics, but is also whole-heartedly supporting
Boris Herrmann and Pierre Casiraghi in the “Ocean Challenge”.
The second aspect of the project is to get children interested in the
campaign, but primarily in protecting the oceans. The aim is to get
the younger generation on board and to make them more aware of a key
issue for the future. At many of the starting and finishing locations,
there will be children’s press conferences and sailing trips with the
younger generation. Additionally, traditional and digital learning and
experiential resources will be developed under the honorary leadership
of educationalist Birte Lorenzen. The Ocean Challenge is aspiring to
close collaboration with at least ten schools in six countries
(Germany, France, Monaco, Italy, Great Britain, USA).
For Boris Herrmann, the mission is on the same level as sporting
success: “It’s not enough to simply sail fast. We need to take care of
our element and ensure that the younger generation understands and
internalises the importance of clean seas.”