The learnings from this crossing will be used in new R&D projects undertaken jointly by the Energy Observer and CMA CGM teams, with the common goal of achieving zero-emission shipping and the large-scale adoption of hydrogen as an energy source.
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Energy Observer leaves the French West Indies after completing her first transatlantic passage entirely self-sufficiently
Since it left Saint Malo, France, on 3 March 2020, this vessel of the future and strategic partner of CMA CGM has covered more than 9,000 km at an average speed of 6 knots. Arrived at Fort-de-France in Martinique on 21 April, the crew continues its odyssey that will take them to the meandering stretches of the guyanese Amazon rainforest.
Energy Observer’s first transatlantic voyage took place in exceptional circumstances. Because of the sanitary crisis, the first hydrogen-powered vessel to embark on a round-the-world voyage had not been able to call at any port or change its crew since its departure.
These conditions forced the crew to push to its limits the main innovations that have been added to the vessel in 2020. With its new fuel cell system, automated wings, new solar panels and innovative propellers, Energy Observer is a genuine floating laboratory for renewable energies.
“We want to get back to nature , as much as possible, to learn from it and imagine the post-Covid-19 world that everyone’s talking about, even though no-one really knows what it will look like,” Jérôme Delafosse, the expedition leader, told Le Télégramme newspaper.
A common ambition: zero-emission shipping
Synergies between the vessel’s various innovations and energy sources produced unprecedented performance during the crossing, allowing the crew to live comfortably even though the voyage was far from typical and they had to adapt to some exceptional conditions.
The importance of shipping and logistics in supplying essential goods in a time of crisis
During the voyage, the crew crossed paths with many merchant ships, reminding us of how important shipping and logistics companies are during the current global crisis.
The CMA CGM Group and its CEVA Logistics subsidiary have been working to supply the whole world with essential goods on a daily basis.
Energy Observer and the global Supply Chain
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