REPORTAGE
In Saint-Malo, there are moored in front of the ramparts two very different boats, a few meters from each other: the Etoile du Roy and the Energy observer. About ten meters and three centuries separate them. The first is a replica of a 1745 privateer frigate, the second an ultra-modern catamaran. Europe 1 was able to visit the Energy observer with the captain of the ship, Marin Jarry. This prototype is the first hydrogen ship to go to sea.
>> READ ALSO - Saint-Malo: Energy Observer, the ship of the future, has been launched
The bridge is completely covered with non-slip sensors. "It's a first type of solar panel," says Marin Jerry. "[It's] very resistant since we can walk on it." Continuing the guided tour of the building, the captain goes to the wheelhouse, the cockpit, then enters the living basket: 75 square meters, six cabins, an ultra-modern kitchen and in the middle of it all, the supervision machine. "It's really the brain of the boat, it's 1,800 data in real time. We see the different solar panels that recharge our batteries," he said.
Two kilowatts produced under a gray sky
That day, however, no sun. "This is what proves the efficiency of the boat," laughs the guide of the day. "The sky is very low, it is very gray and we produce almost two kilowatts of energy."
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A unique prototype in the world, the Energy observer has been sailing since 2017 to promote renewable energies in maritime transport. With this technology, he heads for Tokyo, located 25,000 km by sea, to be presented there this summer on the sidelines of the Olympic Games.