SIMRAD Yachting has outfitted the bridge of the Plastic Odyssey research vessel as part of a four-year partnership supporting Plastic Odyssey’s expedition around the globe to tackle the issue of plastic pollution in our planet’s oceans. The partnership was announced last year but due to a one-year delay from the pandemic and technical challenges, Plastic Odyssey shifted departure festivities to late September 2022 with the circumnavigation scheduled for three years.
“We are excited about supporting Plastic Odyssey’s mission and expedition by fully equipping their vessel’s bridge with the latest in radar and navigation technology,” said James Methven, Global Head of Brand, Simrad Yachting.
Plastic Odyssey’s goal is to address plastic pollution on a global scale by traveling to low and middle-income countries – where coastal cities have amassed massive quantities of plastic – in hopes of turning these areas into local micro-factories as the main raw material for the transformation of plastic waste into building materials and fuel, thanks to low-tech and easily transferable technologies. Plastic Odyssey also plans to work towards a plastic-free future through the development of various awareness-raising, educational and social sciences research programs.
“The refit of the Plastic Odyssey vessel is nearly finished after more than two years of hard work,” said Simon Bernard, Founder and CEO, Plastic Odyssey.
“The bridge and its electronics were refitted with state-of-the-art Simrad products and we are not only thrilled but also very confident in these systems that are key for a vessel about to circumnavigate the globe for three years.”
In July, the boat will head to Marseille, France to prepare for the expedition departure with a full program of events scheduled for late September including media activities, boat christening and official departure from Marseille’s Vieux Port on October 1. Along with providing Plastic Odyssey with the latest Simrad electronics and navigation technology, Simrad technical experts have been on hand to train Plastic Odyssey researchers and captains.
For more information: www.simrad-yachting.com/world-of-simrad/partnerships/plastic-odyssey/
