Havana, November 24, 2021. The Norwegian sailboat Statsraad Lehmkuhl arrived at the port of Havana as part of its journey around the world to generate new knowledge about the use and preservation of marine resources.
During their stay in Cuba, from the 24th to the 28th of this month, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment will accompany the activities programmed with the crew, which aims to contribute to generating ocean research and knowledge of global interest.
Other objectives of the One Ocean Expedition are to provide a platform for the development and dissemination of the wide spectrum of knowledge and research necessary for the sustainable management of the oceans, with the collaboration of different institutions of the Norwegian Government, as well as prominent leaders. from the scientific community and partners in the public, academic and business sectors.
122 people travel aboard the Statsraad Lehmkuhl, including scientists, students and members of different United Nations organizations related to biodiversity and sustainable development.
One Ocean has goodwill ambassadors such as Erna Solberg, the Prime Minister of Norway, and Peter Thomson, the United Nations Special Envoy for the Oceans.
The sailboat set sail on August 20 from Arendal, Norway, and will sail 55 thousand miles during 20 months; will visit 36 ports before returning to its origin, in the city of Bergen, on Saturday, April 15, 2023, which according to the schedule, is scheduled for the inauguration of an international conference on the oceans: "The One Ocean Expo ”.
Built in 1914, the Statsraad Lehmkuhl is one of the largest and fastest sailing ships in the world. It combines the classic lines of sailboats with state-of-the-art equipment, has sophisticated instruments to obtain data during the trip, such as sensors to measure water quality and CO2 online, scientific echo sounders or camera and hydrophone systems.
She frequently makes long-distance voyages as a training vessel with cadets from the naval academies in Norway and other countries, and regularly participates in Tall Ships' Races and other regattas maintaining an excellent track record.
In the course of a current year, it makes up to 70 percent of its sailing trips. In 2021 they have installed batteries on board, rechargeable during navigation, which reduces the use of the main engine to a minimum. In this way, it will become the most environmentally friendly sailboat of its kind in the world.
Due to the Sanitary Protocol that governs the facilities of the Port of Havana to prevent the spread of Covid-19, the public will not be able to visit the boat, but they will be able to appreciate this jewel of the seas from a distance. (CITMA).