Press Release
Embargoed until August 26, 10:30 am GMT+2
Lausanne, 26th of August 2022
In the early hours of Friday August 12, 2022, off the coast of Mumbai (India) bad weather turned worse, just when one of the electric engines fell out, the unfolding events led to the beaching of the experimental ship Porrima on the coast of Mumbai. The Indian Coast Guard rescued all crew members who -at their request- immediately returned home safely.
Porrima’s core structure seems to have withstood the shocks of crushing onto rocks before the currents apparently ditched her onto a sand bank where she emerged for the locals as a space ship landing from the universe. We express deepest gratitude to the Indian Coast Guard and the local villagers for their courageous support and rescue operation.
As the salvaging of Porrima started on August 24, less than two weeks after the drama we are optimistic that Porrima will shine again. We are committed to the original mission, especially our presence at the opening of the Osaka World Expo in April 2025.
Porrima -the Goddess of the Future according to Roman mythology- had just finished her voyage from Tokyo to Dubai (18/12/2021 to 16/3/2022). She was nominated Ambassador of the Osaka World Expo. As Expo Ambassador, Porrima traveled to Dubai for the closing of the World Expo in the Emirates and to announce the next one in Osaka.
Porrima shone in the Middle East with dozens of leaders from all continents on board appreciating the pioneering efforts to change the business and energy model of maritime transport. Porrima introduces a broad set of surprising technologies from an intelligent skysail, to hydrogen produced from sea water, or internet over light, just to name a few.
Interest in present and future breakthroughs strengthened the owner’s resolve to pursue a strategy of “industrialization”: build ships that can cruise the seas without any pollution and finally make a dent in this carbon intense transport.
While in Dubai, the opportunity emerged to participate at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar next November. After Porrima missed the Tokyo Olympics due to COVID - even when berthed just dozens of kilometers from the main events - Qatar was a welcome invitation.
Singapore was chosen as the location to refit the ship. It was also decided to build new and improved editions of Porrima in 2024 ready for 2025. We committed to continue to pioneer with the first ship that circumnavigated the world with solar power only (2010-2012) and create a new category of ships turning this unique vessel into a family.
The Porrima design and its resilience was proven over 95,000 nautical miles and during this recent stormy drama. A global top team takes clues from the lessons learned so that we can accelerate the urgent transition towards a Blue Economy, a program of the United Nations and over 50 national governments. This will require not only innovative technologies, it will require many pioneers, entrepreneurs and political leadership.
Porrima is an exceptional ship with an exceptional mission in need of an exceptional team. Sailing on Porrima while experimenting requires a crew ready to face and overcome challenges. The greatest lesson we learned is that we need much more talent in order to achieve this urgent ecological transition: No university teaches future engineers to design zero emissions transport as a standard, nor how to operate an intelligent kite, or to convert seawater into hydrogen.
In parallel to undertaking with the support of the insurer the repair of Porrima, and the subsequent construction of a new category of ships, we will create the Blue Campus which will start its programs in 2023. Here the next generation can learn how to design, build and operate novel ships. Then, we hope that these “astronauts of the seas” will redesign local communities capable to respond to the urgent needs for water, food and jobs sustainably.
Last April, we announced together with WISeKey the sale of the first sustainable NFT with the authentic solar panels installed on Porrima in 2010. Each panel has a unique history and emotional capital. These NFTs are now available on the WISe.ART platform. These panels have been exposed to extreme weather and are astonishingly resistant to the most stressful conditions. All panels survived the incident and continue to operate!
For any inquiries please contact
Mr. Jean Luc Wilain, the spokesperson for Blue Innovations can be contacted at jl.wilain@porrima.ch
www.blueinnovations.ch
www.porrima.eu
www.WISe.ART
Photos free of copyrights are available upon request
Blue Innovations S.A. is a Lausanne-based company dedicated to the promotion and the industrialization of innovative technologies based on the Blue Economy. It was created in 2020 and Porrima is its main program.
Porrima Foundation has just been established and aims to operate the Blue Campus, as well as to promote the technologies that drive maritime transport and coastal communities towards sustainability.
WISeKey International Holding Ltd (SIX: WIHN, NASDAQ: WKEY), a Swiss based cyber security, IoT, AI company committed to delivering proof of operations for technologies that will change reality and transform society.
NFT Porrima offers each solar panel US$2,222 with the option to acquire the physical serialized version with its microchip for US$10,000. The proceeds will finance the repair and refitting of the next generation vessels. Collectors buying these panels will not only support the Porrima program but become their exclusive owners with the certainty of acquiring unique, top quality and state-of-the-art technology for their personal use. The panels will be available next year.
