Simrad Yachting has outfitted the bridge of the Plastic Odyssey research vessel as part of a 4-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 1-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,” says James Methven, Global Head of Brand, Simrad Yachting. “The boat refit over the past year is only the start. We look forward to sharing this inspiring adventure of the Plastic Odyssey team, helping keep them safe and on course while also covering the voyage across our digital platforms with updates and content.”
Plastic Odyssey’s goal is to address plastic pollution on a global scale by travelling to low and middle-income countries.
The plan is to turn these areas into local micro-factories as the primary raw material for transforming plastic waste into building materials and fuel. Plastic Odyssey also plans to work towards a plastic-free future by developing 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 & CEO of Plastic Odyssey. “The bridge and its electronics were refitted with state-of-the-art Simrad products. 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.
