MS Tûranor welcomed home by PlanetSolar team and large crown in Monaco's Port Hercule
A large crowd turned out in Monaco today to welcome home the MS Tûranor, the first boat to complete a circumnavigation of the planet on solar power alone.
The 115ft catamaran – the largest solar-powered boat ever built – entered the record books by crossing the finish line in Monaco’s Port Hercule at 2.12pm local time.
The leader of the PlanetSolar expedition, Raphaël Domjan, said: “We are extremely happy to have achieved this first world tour with solar energy!”
“We have shown that we have the technologies as well as the knowledge to become sustainable and safeguard our blue planet.”
In her journey around the globe, MS Tûranor logged 32,401 nautical miles, travelled 585 days without using a drop of fuel and visited 28 countries.
As well as the round-the-world record, she also holds records for the fastest crossing of the Altantic Ocean and South China Sea by solar power.
The main investor in the project, German Immo Stroeher, said: “The MS Tûranor PlanetSolar is much more than a ship. It has become an ambassador of solar energy.
“The arrival in Monaco is only the start. We now have to take advantage of the fame of PlanetSolar in order to promote the use of solar energy.”
Celebrations are set to go on all weekend in the principality, with Prince Albert II expected to visit the shop tomorrow.
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