Solar Ship Evades Pirates In The Gulf Of Aden

Solar Ship Evades Pirates In The Gulf Of Aden:

The crew of Tûranor enlisted the help of armed professionals to protect itself from pirates as it circumnavigated the globe in a solar ship. Photo: PlanetSolar

The crew of a ship attempting a solar-powered trip around the world hit an unwelcome milestone when it encountered — and evaded — pirates off the coast of Somalia.

We’ve been following the PlanetSolar team since before it even built the the solar-powered catamaran Tûranor. We last checked in with them in January, when the ship set off from Doha around the Horn of Africa. Things were going well enough until Feb. 16, when expedition leader Raphaël Domjan spotted a suspect ship possibly under the command of pirates.

It was a moment the crew had been dreading since it began planning the journey in 2006. The situation in countries surrounding the Gulf of Aden had only worsened in the intervening years, so the Tûranor crew took extreme precautions. Working with the former chief of the Swiss army, it developed a comprehensive security plan that included defensive and offensive measures.

First, the boat’s points of access were wrapped in barbed wire to prevent pirates from boarding. In addition to the four crew members, six former elite soldiers in the French army were dispatched to provide any firepower the crew may need. The ship didn’t have any fossil fuels on board, but for the Gulf of Aden crossing it sure had plenty of guns and ammunition.

“We have to wear flak jackets and helmets. The men in charge of our security have also trained using live ammunition. It was impressive to see the spray of water resulting from the firearms, the cartridges falling on our solar panels and the noise,” Domjan said. “This is a sad first: The first firing from a solar boat.”

Argh! Photo: PlanetSolar

Because those firearms were on board, the crew also had to ensure the boat could make the 2,000-mile journey without any emergencies since neighboring countries such as Yemen would not allow a weapon-laden ship to make landfall. To avoid detection by pirates, the ship sailed in darkness, saving energy stored in batteries for any evasive maneuvers that might be necessary.

Having made such precautions, it was no less nerve racking when the pirates’ ship appeared on the horizon. The Tûranor changed course and began observing the pirates, with Domjan taking photos through a telephoto lens.

“To be that close of such individuals is strange scary feeling,” Domjan said. “Finally, we show that we are protected and well equipped and, after observing and carefully avoiding each other, this suspect boat continue[s] its way opposite to ours. We will not see it again, all the better.”

After the encounter, the Tûranor continued on its way with a stop in Djibouti to replenish supplies. From then on, it’s relatively smooth sailing. The PlanetSolar team expects to arrive in Monaco on May 4, completing the circumnavigation.