Energy Observer zero-emission voyager arrives in Cape Town

Energy Observer, the first hydrogen-powered zero-emission vessel, has arrived in Cape Town – the 80th stopover of its world tour.

The 100 per cent energy-sufficient laboratory vessel advocating for energy transition is lying at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. Energy Observer is the first vessel powered by renewable energies and hydrogen and – along with its educational village exhibition – will be in Cape Town from June 12 to 20 for her major event stopover in Africa.

The team behind Energy Observer says the stop provides ‘a unique opportunity to share the various solutions involved in accelerating the energy transition in South Africa, at a time when energy is a key issue for the country and the continent as a whole.’

The vessel’s arrival comes at a time when the country has been experiencing power cuts and an energy crisis. Blackouts have waxed and waned in severity, but have struck persistently for months across the region.

Commenting on their arrival, the team on Energy Observer says: ‘After 33 days of sailing and 2,300 nautical miles covered, the laboratory vessel rounded the mythical Cape of Good Hope before reaching her final destination in South Africa: Cape Town, a mythic port for sailors, the economic heart of the country and the scene of a major African stopover for the laboratory vessel.’

This was a particularly difficult journey for the crew, with four sheltered stops between Mayotte and Cape Town due to harsh weather conditions, including strong winds and heavy seas. This 80th stopover will gather a host of institutional, industrial, and academic players committed to working with Energy Observer to make the energy transition a reality accessible to all.

The laboratory vessel is docked at Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront from June 12th to 20th next to its pedagogical exhibition open to the public in order to raise public awareness of the energy and ecological transition’s challenges.

Designed from a legendary award-winning catamaran, Energy Observer is a laboratory for the ecological transition, conceived to push back the limits of zero-emission technologies. Hydrogen, solar, wind, and hydropower: all solutions have been experimented with, tested, and optimised onboard, to make clean energies a practical reality accessible to all.

The vessel was nominated as the French ambassador for the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals.