The hydrogen-powered Energy Observer has returned to its home port of Saint-Malo, France, marking the end of its seven-year Odyssey around the world.
Having set off in 2017, the vessel sailed over 68,000 nautical miles throughout the Mediterranean, around Northern Europe, across the Atlantic, crossing the Pacific into Asia, around Africa and over to North America.
Seen as a floating lab, the Energy Observer is powered by renewable energy, using solar panels, wind turbines, electrolysis and fuel cells to generate and store energy.
Making 101 stopovers in 50 different companies, the company behind the vessel said the Odyssey demonstrated the viability of clean, renewable technologies in “all possible conditions, from the cold of the Arctic to the heat of the tropics.”
“This return to Saint-Malo is a symbolic step that closes a chapter in an exceptional human and technological adventure,” said Victorien Erussard, founder and Captain of Energy Observer.
Despite admitting there is “still a lot to do and a lot of room for improvement,” Erussard said the team was proud of the results.
As this Odyssey comes to close, Energy Observer is already looking ahead to new adventures. Building on the initial developments, Energy Observer 2 will develop a liquid hydrogen-fuelled carbon ship, to allow for “zero-emission navigation, while offering very high transport capacities and great autonomy.”
From there will come Energy Observer 3 – the next lab to test e-fuels and associated technologies and energy storage systems.
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