A ship fit for adventure and for science! One year after its construction was launched, the sailing boat Perseverance, Polar POD’s supply vessel, was delivered to Jean-Louis Etienne by PIRIOU Shipyard.
“This is a very special day for us, said Vincent Faujour, President of the PIRIOU Group. This is the first sailing boat we are delivering! We are particularly happy to entrust her to Jean-Louis Etienne and 7th Continent. During her future voyages in the southern seas, Perseverance will cross paths with other Piriou-built vessels and will soon be joined by the Polar POD.”
Perseverance will be used to supply the polar station, the construction of which has also been entrusted to the shipyard in Concarneau, in partnership with the company 3C Metal.
Until the expedition starts, the schooner, which was created and built by Piriou, based on a design by Olivier Petit and VPLP, will welcome passengers for exploration cruises in the icy waters of the Arctic, in the Svalbard archipelago, then in Antarctica and in the Howling Fifties. To cope with navigation in these polar waters, its aluminum hull has been reinforced.
With a length of 42 meters and a width of 11 meters, the ship will be manned by 8 sailors and will be able to accommodate 12 passengers.
” Elsa and I were very touched when we took delivery of Perseverance, a name that illustrates our commitment and a powerful hull to face the polar seas with the aim of limiting our environmental impact, declared Jean-Louis Etienne. The schooner’s wind-powered propulsion system limits the carbon impact of our voyages; in addition, urea treatment of the exhaust gases captures nitrogen oxides and fine particles. As a work-ship for crew changes and the supply of the Polar POD, particular care is taken with the passenger cabins. Discovery cruises in the polar regions are part of the economics of the Polar POD project. The next delivery expected from Piriou and 3C Métal is the Polar POD, a “vertical ship” designed to study the Southern Ocean, the planet’s main oceanic carbon sink and a huge and still unknown reserve of marine biodiversity.”