News

The Mansura Perpetual Challenge Trophy

Supported by The Green Blue, a forward-thinking new prize for environmentally friendlier boat propulsion systems was launched at Southampton Boat Show. The Mansura Perpetual Challenge Trophy has been donated as the World's first prize for an international competition, recognising innovation in the design, development and operation of marine vessels with hybrid or all-electric propulsion systems.
 
With climate change coming to the forefront of the political agenda, the Mansura Trophy's overarching aim of making marine propulsion systems more efficient shows the legislators that the marine industry is aware of its environmental responsibilities and willing and able to clean up its own act.  

The trophy, a striking bronze sculpture depicting tiller detail from the 1912 hybrid motor yacht Mansura, has been donated to the Royal Thames Yacht Club, who will organise and promote the competition and the Club’s initiative. 

Chairman of Trustees for the Trophy, Jack Edwards, commented: “This competition will be open to anyone in the leisure and commercial marine world displaying innovation in designing, developing and operating craft with hybrid propulsion. Economical use of fossil fuels and the overall environmental impact of the craft will be considered and the propulsion system may embody electric power derived from wind, solar radiation, fossil fuels, biomass, fuel cell or other sources of electrical energy generation.”


Following Jack's interesting introduction to the original Mansura, a hybrid powered motor yacht, a century ahead of  her time, Graham Hawkesley, from Hawkesley Silicon Systems who has conducted 5 years of research in the field, gave the audience an introduction to the definitions and limitations of hybrid boats.

It soon became clear that the Mansura Trophy has come about at exactly the right time. There are over 40 projects ongoing worldwide that would qualify for the prize, as recent developments in lightweight batteries and improvements of efficiency of electric motors are now making small and medium sized hybrid vessels viable. Hawkesley, however had some sobering statistics that show just how much room for development there is in this area:
"Currently power storage is still the crux. To store the same quantity of power contained in half a litre of diesel, you'll still need half a ton of battery bank."

Criteria for the Competition

The Judges will be looking for significant advances in the application of hybrid power, the ability to make extended passages without recourse to frequent charging from land-based sources, and silent running characteristics. Success is likely to flow from novel energy generation and storage, improvements in environmental performance and pollution reduction and demonstrable advances in endurance, noise reduction and eco-friendliness.

The Mansura Trophy will be offered for annual competition and the primary qualification is for cruising vessels of any nationality with an overall length not exceeding 122 metres [400 feet]. The winner will be announced each January.

The Green Blue is supporting the Trophy as it as a natural adjunct to the project:
“Our project sets out to encourage boaters and boating businesses to be more environmentally aware by providing advice and information, research studies and establishing practical demonstration projects. Encouraging development of hybrid and all-electric power resources through this competition is a perfect fit and every entrant will provide a case study in pollution reduction and sustainable power application.”

» Learn more about the Mansura trophy