May 06, 2008

In honor of Earth Day, the non-profit Pacific Whale Foundation announced that it is designing a new solar and wind-powered “marine-hybrid” ocean vessel for its whalewatch and snorkel ecotours off the coast of Maui.
The catamaran, which will be named Ocean Navigator, will carry up to 149 passengers at a time. It features a moveable “solar sailor” wing that can be positioned to harvest power from the wind and the sun. At speeds of ten knots or less, Ocean Navigator will use no other fuel and will create zero emissions.

“We are thrilled to be bringing the first vessel of this type to Maui,” says Greg Kaufman, President and Founder of Pacific Whale Foundation. “As an organization working to protect the marine environment, we take global warming very seriously, and are doing everything possible to reduce our carbon footprint.”

Pacific Whale Foundation will be replacing its current vessel Ocean Odyssey with the new Ocean Navigator. The new vessel will operate whalewatch tours in winter, and snorkel cruises to Molokini and Turtle Arches year ‘round.
“Because our Molokini tours and whalewatches require low travel speeds, we feel comfortable that our fuel savings will be significant,” says Kaufman. “We have the potential to save up to 44,800 gallons of fuel per year and reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 490 tons per year – the equivalent of taking four cars off the road.”
“At a minimum, we should save 30,000 gallons in a ‘blended operation’ of speeds above and below ten knots,” says Kaufman. “That’s significant.”

“... the vessel will be an ideal teaching tool, to help the public see the potential that exists for solar and wind power,” he notes.

This new “marine hybrid” vessel is perfect for Maui’s sunny and windy climate.

“The area off South and West Maui has one of the world’s highest solar radiation potentials,” Kaufman explains; “Maui’s consistently strong, constant trade winds are also perfect for this technology.”

The vessel will be augmented by a Tier two-type clean burning biodiesel engine, supported by a state-of-the-art hydrogen fuel cell generator. As with hybrid automobiles, the engine will only run when extra power is required, such as a situation in which the captain needed the vessel to cruise at speeds of ten knots or more.

Ocean Navigator’s design will be forward-looking, with the capabilities of replacing the diesel engine with a fuel cell motor when fuel cell technology becomes available in the future.

When completed in 2009, Ocean Navigator will be the first United States Coast Guard passenger-certified solar/wind hybrid in the United States.

The new boat, Ocean Navigator, is being designed in partnership with Solar Sailor Holdings of Castlecraig, New South Wales, Australia, and One2Three Naval Architects, of Kogarah, New South Wales, Australia.

The Solar Sailor technology has won numerous awards, including the Boating Industry Association of Australia Marine Award in 2000, United Nations Award for Green Ferries for Blue Highways in 2004 and the Australian Design Award of the Year for Engineering in 2001. Solar Sailor is currently building a new vessel for the Alcatraz, California ferry.

The design team at One2three Naval Archtects have extensive marine industry experience covering 22 years and 135 vessels with various shipyards and design houses.

To learn more about this and about the Pacific Whale Foundation, visit www.pacificwhale.org.

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