New Zealand campaign group, Earthrace Conservation, has unveiled concept designs of its new 60m trimaran to be used for conservation missions around the world.
The radical looking vessel, designed by Auckland naval architects LOMOcean Design, is based on the original Earthrace that still holds the record for circling the globe.
Earthrace Conservation chief executive, Captain Pete Bethune, explained how the new vessel is pivotal for the team in helping combat illegal fishing. "We've worked in a number of countries targeting illegal fishing by foreign vessels, but the real work in open waters has been limited because we lacked our own long-range vessel.”
“This new vessel will be used in blue-water patrols, mostly assisting local units to catch poachers," he added.
The team has successfully caught a number of vessels fishing illegally in many areas, including Central America, Asia and Africa. They helped close down two gangs involved in wildlife smuggling in Asia, and exposed several illegal logging operations in Indonesia. They were also successful in catching illegal gold miners in Costa Rica.
The new vessel will serve as a base of operations for the team, and will allow them to run global missions. It will hold most of the existing assets of the original Earthrace, including the Sealegs, which gives the team a high-speed pursuit option. Captain Bethune claims the vessel will have a range of about 10,000 nautical miles, and a top speed of between 20 and 25 knots. It will accommodate a crew of 26 and can run continuously for up 28 days.
The original Earthrace was launched in 2006 and was fuelled on biodiesel made from waste cooking oils. In 2008 she set a new world record for circling the globe of 60 days, 23 hours and 9 minutes. This latest design develops the wave piercer concept and is said to have several key advantages over conventional monohulls, namely greater efficiency and extra stability in rough seas.
Earthrace Conservation will be running a crowdfunding campaign to assist the team in completing the designs. Build location has yet be determined, but construction is due to start later this year.
