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Month: April 2021

YCM continues quest to build future of yachting

by: Stephanie Horsman
09/04/2021

The 8th annual Monaco Energy Boat Challenge isn’t until July, but the contestants are already in full gear preparing for the event which invites researchers, academics, future engineers, inventors, and yachting and energy professionals to present their best ideas for alternative, clean boat propulsion systems.
Organised by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, the Yacht Club of Monaco and the International Powerboating Federation, the 8th edition of the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge is set for 6th to 10th July.
The event challenges some of the best and brightest minds in the yachting community to come up with ways to make green boat propulsion solutions.
Roughly 35 teams are expected to participate. Of these, 17 teams, representing 12 different nations including Monaco, the Netherlands, and China, will compete in the Energy Class.
Candidates in this category are required to design propulsion systems using renewable energy sources. The source is of their own choice, but all teams are restricted to using the same quantity of energy. As such, every team is given a catamaran hull supplied by the Yacht Club of Monaco to modify. The Energy Class competition has been a huge success since the 2018 launch of the category, seeing previous teams returning to try their hands.
A more established category, the Solar Class, which was one of the inaugural classes, looks at boats powered exclusively by solar power alone. One-on-one races, slalom courses and endurance races test the teams’ project limits. There are 15 teams expected to compete in this category.
Finally, the newly renamed Open Sea Class, formerly called the Offshore Class, is open to electric or hydrogen boats already on the market or about to enter it. Those in this class test their vessels through a series of gruelling events, including a 16 nautical mile (29.6 kilometre) race from Monaco to Ventimiglia. The course is both a test of endurance as well as manoeuvrability. The Candela Swedish team, as well as Laneva and Vita Yachts, two Monaco-based companies, have already confirmed their attendance.
Hydrogen power will be a huge focus of this year’s competition. France announced plans to become a major player in hydrogen by 2030 in September, and European nations are looking at this source of energy as a clean way forward. Six teams have declared their intention to use hydrogen in their projects, including Monaco’s own SBM Offshore E-Racing Team.
The competition is only part of the event. The Yacht Club will also be hosting exhibitors. Demonstrators and start-ups will be on hand, as many projects dedicated to new energy sources for the yachting world will be unveiled on the quay and in the YCM Marina. Additionally, the public can speak with contestants at a conference scheduled for 8th July where a broad array of topics will be discussed such as bio-composites, alternative propulsion systems, clean energy in action and build efficiency.
 
Photo by Carlo Boring/YCM
 
 

Novak Djokovic delights fans during ad shoot

by: Stephanie Horsman
09/04/2021

Tennis star and Monaco resident Novak Djokovic spent Wednesday on the courts, but not to train for this weekend’s Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. He was there to film an advertisement at one of the region’s most historic tennis clubs, the Tennis Club of Menton.
The number one ranked tennis player in the world, Novak Djokovic, spent Wednesday on the courts at the historic Menton Tennis Club filming an ad for a sponsor, where delighted spectators got to watch him in action up close and personal.
“It is he who asked to come back here,” said Gilles Perez, President of the Menton Tennis Club for the past five years. “He had already shot an advertisement on our courts, four years ago. I have fond memories of it, of a very friendly person, great with kids. A bliss.”
The 33-year-old Serbian holds the record for longest time in the number one position, currently sitting at 315 weeks. He has crushed it in 18 Gland Slams and has 82 titles on the circuit.
He spent a few hours on the court batting balls back and forth with 36th ranked Filip Krajinovic at the nearly 120-year-old facility that was first set up by English enthusiasts as one of France’s first clubs. Today, it is a high-performance school where half of the 480 members are children hoping to excel in their chosen sport.
This interlude was a small, but pleasing break for Djokovic, who is in serious training on another clay court only steps away for the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters this weekend, a tournament he was won two times in the past.
The Monte-Carlo Masters is going ahead behind closed doors. Another beloved tennis tournament, the fabled French Open, has just been postponed a week due to health concerns, it was just announced.
The Grand Slam tournament will now run from 30th May until 13th June, finishing just two weeks before Wimbledon. The postponement was decided upon in the hope that the delay would allow more fans to attend than the limited number of last year, where only 1,000 per day were allowed.
“For the fans, the players and the atmosphere, the presence of spectators is vital for our tournament, the spring’s most important international sporting event,” said French Tennis Federation President Gilles Moreton.
France is currently in lockdown amidst a third wave of rising Covid cases and deaths.
 
Photo: Twitter / Ville de Menton
 
 

100% vaccinations for cruise crew and guests

by: Cassandra Tanti
08/04/2021

Luxury cruise line Silversea Cruises, headquartered in Monaco, has announced that it will return to service in June with a fully vaccinated crew and guests. The health measure is increasingly being adopted by cruise lines across the globe as the industry battles for its recovery.
America’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention issued long-awaited technical guidance for cruise lines on Friday, bringing them one step closer to sailing again, particularly in U.S. waters.
It said that vaccination is critical in the safe resumption of cruising and it recommended all eligible port personnel, crew and passengers get a Covid-19 vaccine as soon as one becomes available to them.
But like many of its European counterparts, Silversea Cruises has gone one step further, making vaccination mandatory for both crew and passengers.
The company will set sail from 18th June with Silver Moon, the cruise line’s new flagship, for 10-day itineraries to the Eastern Mediterranean from Greece.
“Our guests share our excitement for our eagerly-anticipated healthy return to service. In recent months, we have seen the cruise industry resume responsibly in destinations around the world and we are delighted to announce these new inaugural sailings for our flagship,” says Roberto Martinoli, President and CEO of Silversea Cruises. “Vaccinations will play a critical role in ensuring the health and safety of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit, which we prioritise above all else.”
Norwegian Cruise Line, one of the industry’s biggest operators, said Monday that it will resume sailing in Greece, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic in July with mandatory vaccinations for all crew and guests. During a press conference this week, President and CEO Harry Sommer said vaccines paired with multi-layered health and safety protocols meant the chances of an outbreak on a ship was “astronomically low”.
Silversea Cruises also says the vaccinations will form part of a comprehensive, multi-layered set of science-backed protocol approved by the Royal Caribbean Group’s Healthy Sail Panel, and that it will continue to work closely with relevant governing bodies and health authorities to evolve its health and safety procedures, as new health recommendations are issued and as the fluid situation advances.
The protocol includes enhanced sanitation procedures, increased air filtration, high-quality onboard medical care with state-of-the-art medical equipment, and enhanced medical teams on each ship.
Cruise ships across the globe have been docked for over a year because of the pandemic and many can only restart operations by following the CDC’s Framework for Conditional Sailing Order.
Other lines to announce mandatory vaccinations include Saga Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Crystal Cruises, Virgin Voyages, and P&O Cruises.
 
READ ALSO: Completing a cruise ship during Covid
 
Photo by Fiippo Vinardi
 
 

Finance ministers meet for climate change action

by: Stephanie Horsman
08/04/2021

Monaco’s Jean Castellini has joined finance ministers from across the globe in a meeting designed to foster economic growth strategies that take into account the environment and the challenges for all nations associated with climate change.
Launched two years ago, the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action is a meeting of 60 nations’ finance ministers to deliberate and find ways to work together on economic planning strategies that are beneficial in the fight against climate change.
These minister’s countries represent approximately 39% of greenhouse gas emissions and 63% of global gross domestic product.
The virtual meeting on Tuesday was an opportunity for the coalition to renew their calls for the development of sustainable finance, and to stress the need for an eco-friendly post-Covid recovery.
Monaco’s Finance Minister Jean Castellini gave a video speech on the importance of promoting strong economic recovery and growth, while accelerating the transition to a low carbon economy.
“For decades Monaco has thrived to maintain its public finances in order and to invest its budget surpluses in a reserve fund whose creation was enacted in our 1962 constitution,” he said in his address. “For over 20 years, our fund has invested part of its assets in sustainable investment funds.
“Today, in a way consistent with our Sovereign, Prince Albert II and his foundation for the fight against climate change around the world, the Principality intends to broaden the scope of its sustainable investments in all asset classes to foster sustainable innovation and technologies and to mobilise the resources of its banking and asset management industry in the same direction.”
In March, the government announced the creation of a new working group comprising members of the government and the Monaco Association for Financial Activities (AMAF), for a new initiative called ‘Monaco Sustainable Finance’.

READ ALSO: After digital, Monaco is “banking” on sustainable finance

The minister also highlighted the “green recovery” measure put in place by the Principality, in particular the Green Fund, as part of the national recovery plan, a fund that works “by encouraging sustainable innovation in building and construction, by favouring alternative means of transportation in our territory and by promoting sustainable and virtuous tourism in all possible ways.”
 
 

EMA officially confirms AstraZeneca blood clot link

by: Stephanie Horsman
08/04/2021

The European Medicines Agency has officially confirmed a link between the AstraZeneca shot and a rare type of blood clotting, saying that it will be listed as a rare side effect. However, Europe’s drug regulator did not go so far as to recommend limiting its use in the fight against Covid-19.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced on Wednesday a link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and unusual blood clots in the sinuses that drain blood from the brain and in the abdomen, along with low platelet counts. Its conclusion came after examining 86 cases in the continent, 18 of whom died as a result.
Meanwhile, 25 million Europeans have been given this vaccine.
The health agency has recommended that clotting be added to the list of very rare side effects but stopped far short of recommending its discontinuation.
“First of all, I want to start by stating that our safety committee (the Pharmacovigilance and Risk Assessment Committee or PRAC) … has confirmed that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine in preventing Covid-19 overall outweigh the risks of side effects,” EMA Executive Director Emer Cooke said at a press conference, adding, “This vaccine has proven to be highly effective. It prevents severe disease and hospitalisation, and it is saving lives.”
Ms Cooke said that one “plausible explanation” for these rare side effects is an immune response to the vaccine. The condition is similar to one seen in people who are taking heparin, a blood thinning drug used to prevent the formation of clots.
The EMA has advised people to be on the lookout for several telltale signs that could be related to blood clotting including shortness of breath, chest pain, leg swelling, persistent abdominal pain, neurological symptoms such as severe and persistent headaches or blurred vision, or tiny blood spots under the skin beyond the site of the injection.
Meanwhile, the EMA says the risk profile is unclear, however when looking at the age and gender of those affected, most of the cases occurred in women under the age of 60 within two weeks of being inoculated.
The World Health Organisation’s advisory vaccine safety panel said on Wednesday that although a link to blood clots was “plausible” it was “not confirmed” and the cases were extremely rare among the 200 million people already vaccinated with the jab around the world.
The AstraZeneca vaccine has been restricted to those aged over 55 in France, while the UK is offering an alternative shot to those aged 30 and under. Some countries, such as Denmark, have suspended use of the vaccine altogether.
 
Photo by Ina Fassbender / AFP
 
 

Monaco receives three new ambassadors

by: Stephanie Horsman
08/04/2021

The Principality has welcomed three new ambassadors from Iran, Latvia and Honduras.
Laurent Anselmi, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, joined Ambassador for Iran Bahram Ghasemi, Ambassador of Latvia Eduards Stiprais, and Ambassador for Honduras Ivonne Bonilla Medina on Tuesday at a luncheon at the Hermitage Hotel. Prior to the lunch, they offered their credentials to Prince Albert II as is custom.
Following a career in journalism, Bahram Ghasemi joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1981 as Deputy Director of the Energy Department. He was appointed as Iran’s Ambassador to Ireland in 1987, and subsequently served in the same role in Spain, Italy and Malta. During his career, he has been the Director-General for Western Europe, Vice-President for International Research at the Centre for Strategic Studies, Spokesperson and, finally, Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Public Diplomacy and Media Centre.
Having joined Latvia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1993, Eduards Stiprais was appointed Ambassador to the European Union in 2004. He has also served as his country’s ambassador to Great Britain, to Northern Ireland and to Uzbekistan. He headed the Chancery of the President of the Republic and the Bilateral Relations Directorate before being promoted to Under-Secretary of State and Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ivonne Bonilla Medina has served in various roles within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Honduras, including Director-General of International Treaties, Minister and Head of Consular Affairs at the Embassy of Honduras in Canada, Director-General of Consular Affairs and Migration Policy, and Honduras’ Ambassador to Argentina, the Oriental Republic of Uruguay and the Republic of Paraguay.
 
Photo from left to right: Eduards Stiprais, Ambassador of the Republic of Latvia; Bahram Ghasemi, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran; Laurent Anselmi, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, and Ivonne Bonilla Medina, Ambassador of the Republic of Honduras. By Government Communication Department/Michael Alesi