Malizia Explorer, the new research sailboat of Team Malizia, founded by Yacht Club de Monaco Vice-President Pierre Casiraghi and Boris Herrmann, was officially christened by the iconic oceanographer and explorer Sylvia Earle at a ceremony attended by YCM’s President HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco at the Yacht Club. Following a blessing from Father Christian Venard, the symbolic moment was sealed with the traditional bottle of champagne. The arrival of the research vessel into Team Malizia, the home port being Monaco, is key to driving the team’s ongoing commitment to its “A Race We Must Win – Climate Action Now” mission, begun with the Malizia-Seaexplorer IMOCA . “This vessel is a superb logistics platform available to scientists. The initiative is fully in line with the spirit of Team Malizia that is founded on two essential pillars: competition and environmental protection,” said Pierre Casiraghi. On this occasion, the Sovereign also presented the sailboat, which is supported by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, with the YCM’s 4-Star SEA Index® environmental certificate.
Alongside HSH Prince Albert II, Pierre Casiraghi and Boris Herrmann, some 80 guests attended including Ambassador Peter Thomson, United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, Bernard d’Alessandri, General Secretary of YCM, and students from the Principality and young sailors from YCM. The christening personifies a powerful symbolic gesture reflecting the historic connection between the Principality, science, education and ocean conservation. “The poles are extremely sensitive regions and very vulnerable. To fully understand them we need more advanced science but also more research. This is the challenge for Malizia Explorer. This sailboat will enable us to reach isolated polar regions and conduct essential studies there,” says the Sovereign. Just days before World Oceans Day and with the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) in nearby Nice, the launch puts the research vessel firmly on the international agenda. The boat’s godmother is the oceanographer and explorer Sylvia Earle. At 89, the American author and lecturer is a global as well as iconic figure for ocean protection. “This sailboat symbolises new hope. It combines the ancient wisdom of sailing with the modern tools of science to explore and understand what we still don’t know. It may be our last chance to reverse the trajectory of decline and put our blue planet back on the path to regeneration,” said Sylvia Earle.
Malizia Explorer also received 4-Star rated certification from the SEA Index®, an international reference for assessing CO2 emissions of yachts more than 24 metres. Launched by YCM in 2020 and developed with Lloyd’s Register, the SEA Index® is based on a rigorous, transparent and independent process. It continues to develop, notably with the Lifecycle Emissions Calculator, a method of analysing CO2 emissions based on whatever fuel is being used, designed with RINA. In obtaining this certification, Malizia Explorer joins a fleet of over 80 SEA Index® certified vessels. Around 20 harbours and marinas in the Mediterranean, and further afield in the Seychelles, have already integrated the index into their management procedures.
Launched April 2025 in Lorient, Malizia Explorer is a 26-metre aluminium sailboat designed to navigate in both polar and tropical regions. It can accommodate four crew and up to eight scientists. On board, an Ocean Pack continuously collects data on CO2, temperature and salinity. There’s also a CTD (Conductivity Temperature Depth) rosette for deep-sea sampling, and a suite of scientific instruments currently being installed. The goal is to supply the international scientific community with data collected from less frequented regions. It will be sailing the globe over the next five years in partnership with Reederei F. Laeisz, AWI, GEOMAR, Hereon, OceanOPS and the Swiss Polar Institute. “The christening of this boat in Monaco marks an important milestone in uniting sailors, scientists and creatives to give the Ocean a voice. Our mission has always been to raise awareness of the climate emergency and need to protect the oceans. This research vessel is a natural evolution of that commitment: it enables us to expand our impact, explore new regions, work closely with the scientific community and get our message about ocean health across to as many people as possible. At the same time, it gives us an opportunity to collect valuable data to better understand the challenges we face,” explained Boris.
After the christening, Malizia Explorer is participating in the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) parade on 8 June and the conference itself. A busy programme follows with expeditions planned in the Mediterranean – including a whale research project – before it heads to the Antarctic then Arctic. At the crossroads of ocean racing, research and education, Team Malizia has a unique tool. With Malizia Explorer, it’s not just about sailing but showing what science reveals, what the ocean endures and what humans can accomplish.
