The ecological catamaran Race for Water traveled the Panama Canal, after touring 8,757 miles powered by solar energy, hydrogen and sailing.

As part of the Odyssey 2017-2021 expedition, the ship will make its fifth scale in this capital since it left the French port of Lorient, on April 9, 2017, and visit the Caribbean island of Bermuda, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Guadalupe, where she carried out scientific work in favor of the oceans.

The Race for Water Foundation joined forces with the transnational SUEZ Group and the Panama City’s Mayor’s Office to hold the event entitled ‘Residuos reciclados, océanos limpios’ (Recycled waste, clean oceans), with the aim of raising public awareness and disseminating solutions for preserving marine resources.

Mava Tesan, a communication officer for SUEZ Group, told Prensa Latina that the visit of the catamaran and its crew will allow ETIA technology to be used to generate energy from waste recycling, in which its company and the owner of the company are currently working.

The scientists in the expedition are developing four research programs in their journey, related to the presence of plastic waste in the oceans, its degradation, toxicity and negative effects on marine ecosystems, in addition to studying sea plankton.

The Race for Water vessel, which makes its second journey around the world (previously it did as Planet Solar boat), has a laboratory, work stations and areas for taking water samples, which facilitates the work of the 15 crews headed by the foundation president, Marco Simeoni. (Prensa Latina)