Earthrace in good time to break world record

Earthrace, the first tri-marine power boat fuelled 100 per cent by bio diesel, arrived in Salalah, Oman yesterday after a gruelling crossing of the Indian Ocean where it had to face six-metre high waves and heavy monsoon rains.

The boat is attempting to break the world circumnavigation record set in 1998 by the Cable and Wireless boat and is doing so powered completely by 100 per cent bio diesel - a clean and environmentally-friendly fuel.

To date, the boat, which left Sagunto in Spain on April 27, has travelled about 20,500 miles out of the 24,000-mile journey and is about 2,400 miles ahead of the existing world record.

The boat will be leaving Oman after a brief refuelling stop, headed for the Suez Canal where it will come to its last stop at Port Said before leaving for the final leg to Valencia. Here it will, hopefully, cross the finish line ahead of the world record time.

This leg of the journey is a very risky one in view of the sea piracy around the Gulf of Aden. Pirates in this area have been in the news in recent weeks with the hijacking of a number of ships.

The attempt imparts a forceful message in favour of bio diesel: that 100 per cent bio diesel may be used in high-tech engines successfully, even in very demanding seafaring conditions. Bio diesel offers one possible solution to energy independence and global warming and this is precisely why Pete Bethune, the promoter and owner of Earthrace, has embarked on this challenge. The objective is to send a strong message to the world that alternatives to fossil diesel exist and are proven to be highly reliable.

Bio Power, Malta's leading bio diesel producers, will be sponsoring a daily news update between today and the conclusion of Earthrace's attempt in Valencia.