The biggest solar ship ever built, which has dropped anchor in Doha, will leave mid-January for Abu Dhabi as guest of honour to the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) taking place from January 16 to 19.

After departing on September 27, 2010 from Monaco's harbour for a journey around the world from the East to the West and after having crossed the Indian Ocean, the MS Tûrannor PlanetSolar has journeyed more than 48,000 km using only solar energy.

The stopover in Doha will allow the crew to rest for a few days before starting their journey back to the Mediterranean. While in Doha, the crew of PlanetSolar are meeting students and researchers and to share their vision of a world where ecology and economy work in synergy.

This stage in the Arabian Gulf will lead the ship and its crew to Dubai and will end in Abu Dhabi at the World Future Energy Summit.

PlanetSolar has been initiated by the Swiss Raphaël Domjan and has its headquarters in Yverdon-les-Bains in Switzerland. The MS Tûranor PlanetSolar was assembled in Kiel, Germany, and is a catamaran functioning exclusively on solar energy.

It is covered by 537 sq m of photovoltaic cells. After two years of designing and building, PlanetSolar is at the heart of numerous technologic breakthroughs, in particular in the field of composite materials production and solar energy stocking. – TradeArabia News Service