Earthrace back at sea after rejecting Indian biodiesel
Earthrace back at sea after rejecting Indian biodiesel
Thursday, 17 May 2007
ROSS GIBLIN/Dominion Post
BAD RUN: NZ trimaran Earthrace captain Pete Bethune and crew are still battling bad luck and bureaucracy in their global record bid.
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The NZ trimaran Earthrace is still battling bad luck and bureaucracy in its bid for a global record for circumnavigating the world.
It left Cochin on India's west coast today, three days later than expected, after being let down by its biodiesel supplier in India.
It is on a 2592km trip to Salalah in Oman to refuel for a 3611km leg to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
At Cochin, the boat had to fill up with conventional diesel, for the second time during its trip, after rejecting a truckload of biodiesel which did not meet specifications for the boat.
A spokeswoman for the project, Devann Yata, said the crew had to battle monsoon headwinds all the way from Indonesia to Cochin, and arrived exhausted from sleep deprivation.
During the trip Earthrace suffered further mechanical failures, the most serious being three broken mounts on the starboard engine, for it to travel for a full day on one engine at reduced speed.
Within a day of arriving in Cochin on Sunday, the crew repaired the mounts with help from a local dealer for the engine, but found that the biodiesel fuel had not even left Hyderabad, 1000km away.
"We were assured it would be here a week before our arrival," captain Pete Bethune, of Auckand, said. To compound things, three team members, including the captain, fell ill, suffering diarrhoea, vomiting, muscle aches and lethargy.
After days of frustrating phone calls, the truck left Hyderabad, but bureaucratic red tape at customs stopped it entering Cochin province. When it arrived at the port three days later, "it was of such poor quality that crew were forced to reject it," Ms Yata said.
"This is despite the fuel apparently coming with paperwork indicating it meets quality standards".
Earthrace has to return to San Diego by June 21 to break the 75 day record for a global circumnavigation.
You will find interesting links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side
Thursday, 17 May 2007
ROSS GIBLIN/Dominion Post
BAD RUN: NZ trimaran Earthrace captain Pete Bethune and crew are still battling bad luck and bureaucracy in their global record bid.
Related Links
The NZ trimaran Earthrace is still battling bad luck and bureaucracy in its bid for a global record for circumnavigating the world.
It left Cochin on India's west coast today, three days later than expected, after being let down by its biodiesel supplier in India.
It is on a 2592km trip to Salalah in Oman to refuel for a 3611km leg to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
At Cochin, the boat had to fill up with conventional diesel, for the second time during its trip, after rejecting a truckload of biodiesel which did not meet specifications for the boat.
A spokeswoman for the project, Devann Yata, said the crew had to battle monsoon headwinds all the way from Indonesia to Cochin, and arrived exhausted from sleep deprivation.
During the trip Earthrace suffered further mechanical failures, the most serious being three broken mounts on the starboard engine, for it to travel for a full day on one engine at reduced speed.
Within a day of arriving in Cochin on Sunday, the crew repaired the mounts with help from a local dealer for the engine, but found that the biodiesel fuel had not even left Hyderabad, 1000km away.
"We were assured it would be here a week before our arrival," captain Pete Bethune, of Auckand, said. To compound things, three team members, including the captain, fell ill, suffering diarrhoea, vomiting, muscle aches and lethargy.
After days of frustrating phone calls, the truck left Hyderabad, but bureaucratic red tape at customs stopped it entering Cochin province. When it arrived at the port three days later, "it was of such poor quality that crew were forced to reject it," Ms Yata said.
"This is despite the fuel apparently coming with paperwork indicating it meets quality standards".
Earthrace has to return to San Diego by June 21 to break the 75 day record for a global circumnavigation.
You will find interesting links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side
Labels: Info, Intresting articles, News
1 Comments:
do u by any chance know the supplier for the biodiesel from hyd?
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