Team India Sea Shakti is ready to ride Monaco Energy Boat Challenge

ANI |
Updated: Jul 07, 2022 21:49 IST

Monte Carlo [Monaco], July 7 (ANI): Team India Sea Shakti is ready to ride in the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge (MEBC). The Indian team is making its first appearance since the event started in 2014.
Sea Shakti team is represented by students from the Kumaraguru College of Technology, Coimbatore. MEBC has drawn 38 teams, 27 universities and 21 nations like Indonesia, Monaco, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, United Arab Emirates, Peru and China, Canada participating in MEBC.
Talking to ANI, Sana, who is leading the 14-member India Team Sea Shakti said that, “We were preparing for this competition since December 2021. We gave our best, worked really hard, put our heart and soul into it came up with the best of research thesis work and then we somehow finally developed a software rendering of the sport and we submitted it to the organizers. Four weeks back we got to know that we were selected for our designs. It filled all the parameters of the organizers, it also had some of our own innovation into it as well.”
Sana added, “We are an institution where we develop a lot of automotive vehicles, electric vehicles as well as electric bikes. We have won many national-level competitions. So we have that kind of competency but when it comes to marine equipment and marine facilities, we needed a bit of learning. MEBC completely focuses on bringing sustainability as well as clean energy initiatives into the Marine and yachting industry.”
Confident about winning MEBC, Sana said that today they had the sea trials.

“Before the sea trials, all the 16 teams that are participating should do a technical inspection. Believe it or not, of the 16 teams, only five teams are cleared so far, and we were the second team to clear the technical inspections. We cleared the inspection. We did the sea trials while the other teams were still building the boat. So we are very confident about winning not only this challenge but we also very aware of creating and building a unique perspective on this event. At the same time, we want Indians back home to all cheer for us and support us through this initiative,” he added.
Jawed Ashraf, Ambassador of India to France and Monaca was here to encourage the Sea Shakti team. Talking to ANI, Ambassador said, “This is the first attempt of Indian students and imagine competing against the best teams, best colleges with great traditions of maritime powers like France, Italy, Netherlands UK, United States is commendable. Today we are seeing that we are bringing our ships to Europe, for centuries they were bringing their ships to our country. Today we are sending our youth. So they get a chance also to see that they are second to none. It will give them a great deal of confidence, confidence not just to do well in India, but also to have the confidence and the desire to compete internationally in whatever field they choose to do,” he said.
“It will help make India a great manufacturing hub, a great innovation hub, and also a global power in new technology. So I think this is a very important time of exposure. It is an elite competition with the best in the world. I am confident that they will do well. They have already done well in the qualification rounds, and technical rounds so far, but more importantly they are here to enjoy to show the innovation capacity of India and it is a great opportunity,” he added.
Wednesday Village and Paddocks were open at the 9th Monaco Energy Boat Challenge, the big meeting of alternative power sources, perpetuating a tradition in the principality that in 1904 was at the cutting edge of boat propulsion innovation. Professionals, exhibitors and young engineers are all here again in Monaco set to demonstrate, present and test their latest innovations to an audience of experts and the curious, including Indian sailor Abhilash Tomy, here to support his nation’s team taking part for the first time at an international motorboating event, and explorer Mike Horn.
Organized since 2014 by the Yacht Club de Monaco in collaboration with the Internationale Powerboating Federation (UIM) and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge is a unique event in the world. The Monaco Energy Boat Challenge is an international challenge open to the public, which welcomes students and professionals from all over the world to race in three different classes: Energy, Solar and Open Sea Class. (ANI)