Bangladeshi solar-powered yacht wins international award
A Bangladeshi recreational vessel, solely powered by the energy of the sun, has won the 2021 Gustave Trouvé Electric Boat Award.
The boat represented Bangladesh in the competition under customised/DIY electric boats category.
The 66-feet boat, named 'Iron,' was built by Abdullah al Mahmud, a ship captain by profession who works with a foreign oil tanker company.
Electric boat journal 'Plugboats' organises the competition to promote sustainability in the boating industry.
The competition is being held since 2020. This year, 100 boats competed in eight categories.
Incidentally, eight winners came from eight different countries, Bangladesh being one of them.
The winners have been selected through a combination of online public voting and ballots cast by an international panel of representatives from select boat associations from different countries.
"We were not very hopeful when we decided to participate in the competition. But as we survived the preliminary round of voting, our expectation soared. Now we are very delighted to have won the award," said Captain Mahmud in a reaction given to The Business Standard.
The boat's builder hopes this international recognition will further encourage solar-boat-building in the country.
Iron was featured in The Business Standard earlier this month.