Page 50 - Livre_MOW2024_EN

HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco surrounded by Bertrand Piccard and Mike Horn.
In the foreground Bernard d’Alessandri and Olivier Wenden.
A collaboration agreement was signed between the Prince Albert II of Monaco
Foundation and the Yacht Club of Monaco around the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge
to launch a competition open to universities around the world rewarding, on July
6, 2024, the best technological solution applicable to yachting combining energy
efficiency and carbon reduction .

UNWAVERING COMMITMENT KNOWLEDGE, THE KEY
TO PROTECTION
“To be a good explorer, you have to be humble,” said
American Victor Vescovo, the first person to have According to Nina Jensen, CEO of REV Ocean, the
reached the deepest points of the world’s oceans, largest research expedition vessel (REV) currently under
as his opening remark. Among the explorers present construction, which will be available for scientists,
were Josh Gates, Barry Clifford, Carl Allen, Captain NGOs, policy-makers, innovators, engineers and
Maiwenn Beadle, Nico Vincent and artist James stakeholders in the maritime sector, “less than 10%
Prosek. Many of them have demonstrated unwavering of the oceans have been explored. The idea with
commitment to their craft – not least Emmanuelle and this boat is to save life in the oceans and it’s not just
Ghislain Bardout, the couple behind the Under The about the boat, but also the people on board.”
Pole expedition programme. “We sold everything we
owned to buy our expedition boat.” The aim being to Many of the speakers have made rare discoveries,
reveal the underwater world to the public, improve either at sea or in space. “We collected a large number
their own understanding of the ocean and above all of samples that enabled us to discover the chemical
alert people to the urgent need to protect it. “Fishing composition of certain rocks on Mars,” said Nina
is one of the biggest threats,” noted Rachel Graham, Lanza, Team Lead for Space and Planetary Exploration
who works with traditional fishers and sector at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Explorers share
partners in several tropical countries to identify and with scientists the ability to observe, analyse and
implement win-win solutions that balance the well- listen to the nature around them, as Michel André,
being of coastal communities with the sustainable bioacoustician at the Technical University of Catalonia
use of resources and the conservation of endangered BarcelonaTech, explained.
marine wildlife and their essential habitats. Liaising
with local communities is key, explained Tommy Allen, Dealing with the unknown is a constant in exploration:
whose work revolves around building new types of “Panic paralyses, but fear is a thermometer that keeps
boats: “No matter what we work on or what we find, you alert,” said legendary American astronaut Kathy
too often we forget the human factor. The Indigenous Sullivan. “Exploration is not just about going into the
populations I meet embody ecology, they are the unknown, it is also about exploring a better quality of
environment.” life. The impossible must be achieved. Every time we
have a choice to make, let’s go into the unknown,”
declared Bertrand Piccard, who this year is celebrating
the 25th anniversary of his non-stop round-the-world
balloon flight and is now a champion of innovation.