The legendary ocean researcher and diver Jacques-Yves Cousteau’s research ship Calypso is currently being restored in France.
Fully overhauled, the vessel will sail as the flagship for the Cousteau Society and help inform the general public about the seas and the environment all over the world.
It was aboard the Calypso that Jacques-Yves Cousteau did his research and produced his TV films that helped to spread environmental awareness and knowledge over the whole world.
In 1996, Calypso sank as the result of an accident in the port of Singapore. She was lifted but practically a wreck. When Jacques-Yves Cousteau died the year after, their long relationship was at an end. However, the non-profit Cousteau Society now decided to restore the Calypso and fund raising started.
The Cousteau Society aims to make the restoration and the finished ship as green as possible.
The two Volvo Penta D16s used for propulsion are not only very low on emissions, they are also very fuel efficient. Calypso is expected to reach a top speed of 15 knots, and with a preferred cruising speed of 10 knots fuel consumption will be radically reduced compared with the old engines – which equal the reductions in CO2 emissions.
The delivery from Volvo Penta also consists of two marine generating sets for the ship’s electrical power requirements: one D5A at 90 kWe and one D7A at 130 kWe.
The restoration is scheduled to take approximately a year at a total cost of EUR 6 to 7 million.
