Day: 5 April 2017

An incredible machine that traps moisture from air could solve the water shortage that affects so many people worldwide. This was the device donated to the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation last month and presented directly to HSH Prince Albert by Angela Van Wright Von Berger, President of the NGO Unakids, and Marco Honegger, founder of the Watershed Association and co-founder of SEAS, the company which manufactures the machine.

Graziano Giacomini, President of Association SEAS, said: “It’s a machine that extracts humidity from the air and then a sponge that fills with water is pressed so the water can descend. The machine creates completely potable water, which we can drink. This equipment serves to help countries where drinking water is rare, where water is polluted, or where populations cannot conveniently find water.”

Watershed, which was founded in Monaco last year, has identified areas where the “AWA Modula 25” can be put to best use. It can produce up to 250 litres of water a day, and the Foundation will be sending this particular water fountain to Burkina Faso, where it will be put to use by the Burkina Faso Red Cross training centre, which is being constructed using the structure of the Monaco Pavilion from the Milan Expo.

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A rugby ball that has travelled around the world to celebrate the 450th anniversary of Rugby School was passed around by youth players of AS Monaco Rugby club on Saturday.

Although Rugby School has other claims to fame – it had a very progressive headmaster in Thomas Arnold, and Tom Brown’s 1857 novel School Days was set at the Warwickshire school – it’s as the birthplace of Rugby, the sport, for which it’s best known.

However, it was not until 1823 that the game was born. A pupil, William Webb Ellis, defied the rules of soccer and “with a fine disregard for the rules of football as played at the time, first took the ball in his arms and ran with it”.

The ball that came to Monaco on April 1 has so far visited Six Nations games in Edinburgh, Cardiff, London, Paris, and Rome as well as London, Guernsey Moscow, Hong Kong, Beaune, Milan Florence.

It has also been to Menton, where William Webb Ellis is buried.

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Swedish filmmaker Mattias Klum screened his award-winning film “Vamizi, Cradle of Coral” to a prominent group of decision makers and journalists at the Oceanographic Museum during Monaco Ocean Week.

Mr Klum’s film brings attention to the fact that more than half of the coral reefs in the world are populated by more than two million species, but more than half of the coral reefs have now disappeared. According to current forecasts, all of the world’s coral reefs will be eradicated by 2050. By the same year, the population of the world will have exceeded two billion people. Today, 850 million people depend on the sea for their direct sustenance.

“Keeping the ocean eco system intact is absolutely critical to avoid a global catastrophe,” said Mr Klum.

These issues are more crucial now than ever, since the new US administration recently declared it will abandon important parts of the new climate legislation initiated by President Obama.

When the new US government chooses to abandon their new climate legislation, it’s more important than ever to show the direct consequences, but also where to find hope. Vamizi is in many ways a perfect positive example, Mr Klum commented.

Mattias Klum was in Monaco, together with his fiancée and artist partner, Iris Alexandrov, the Secretary General of WWF, Håkan Wirtén, and Carl Gustaf Lundin from IUCN. Queen Noor of Jordan was present and took part in a Q&A session during the event.

The film portrays Vamizi as a so called ”hope spot” in a time where we’re losing or destabilising our ocean environments at a rapid pace. For most of the tropical coral reefs, natural resilience is a key factor. Located off the coast of Mozambique, Vamizi has been named a mother reef by leading scientists, as it has a central role, now and in the future, in saving other reefs that are in danger. Vamizi has so far managed to resist the environmental effect and one of the key messages of the film is what made this possible.

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Monaco Marine has a new business working alongside it at its base at La Ciotat shipyard, and the two companies expect to cooperate extensively.

French officials inaugurated the 200 metre dry dock at La Ciotat following a €15.8 million upgrade and renovation project. After Peter Lürssen pressed the button to flood the basin, Jean-Yves Saussol, CEO of La Ciotat Shipyards said, “In Lürssen we trust!”

Mr Lürssen said that the new dry dock will be managed by the Barcelona superyacht refit firm MB92. “There should be two places in the Mediterranean for refit and repair of very large yachts,” Mr Lürssen proclaimed during his inaugural speech. “One should be La Ciotat, and one should be Barcelona. What better chance to combine the forces of La Ciotat and Barcelona together?”

Mr Lürssen continued by stating, “For over 20 years, we have trusted MB92 with the refit and warranty work of our vessels. When we faced the situation of how to develop La Ciotat, it was a natural step for us to talk to our partners at MB92 and to our new partners in this region.”

He added that every one of the major players understands that by helping each other, we improve this location. “If we work together, all of our businesses prosper.”

Monaco Marine and CompositeWorks both use the 2,000 Syncrolift installed in 2007. There are other big plans in the pipeline at La Ciotat, including a project to build 10,000 square metres of workshops, offices and warehouses for subcontractors at the shipyard. (Feature image: Rudolf Simon)

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