The Fleur De Passion
In July, the Swiss Embassy issued this announcement –
Whether it rains too much in Switzerland or you melt under the sun in Israel, do not miss the hot topic of science, innovation and the environment. Everywhere corals are disappearing on a huge scale due to rising temperatures and warming of the ocean – everywhere except the Red Sea. How is that possible, you ask? Aqaba Bay and Red Sea corals show exceptional resistance to climate change and extremely high water temperatures.
In light of this pioneering study, the International Red Sea Center – https://trsc.org/en/ – is planning a series of expeditions aboard the Swiss sailboat “Fleur De Passion” over the next four years. The scientists aim to create a marine base of ecosystem, coral and biodiversity, the first ever in the Red Sea by covering the coastline of seven countries: Egypt, Eritrea, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Yemen.
This innovative research project, which mediates science and diplomacy for the future of corals, is in collaboration with the Fondation Pacifique – https://fondationpacifique.org/en/ – and is hosted at the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne EPFL – https://www.epfl.ch/ en / – in the Red Sea and beyond. Ambassador Jean Daniel Roch will welcome the arrival of the sailboat in the coming days to Eilat, in southern Israel.
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A few days later, on 22/7, we received the unfortunate news that the ship had boarded a reef in the Straits of Tiran:
“Yesterday morning … they sat down on the Thomas, the Swiss ship.
The islands of Tiran and Sanfir are located in the territory of Egypt. The shipping lane in the Tiran Strait runs between the island of Tiran and the shores of Sinai. In the center of the strait are four coral reefs, named after English naval cartographers who mapped them (north to south): Jackson, Woodhouse, Thomas and Gordon. These reefs, some of which protrude above the surface of the water, divide the strait into two shipping lanes:
The eastern lane, the Grafton Pass, which is less than a mile wide and about 80 feet deep, is used by the sailors north.
The western route, the Enterprise Crossing, which is about 1,200 meters wide, is used by the sailors to the south.
The depth of the strait ranges from about 250 m in the western passage, to about 70 m in the eastern passage and its width at the narrowest point is about 4 km.
We wish the research ship a quick damage repair and hope to see it continue its research soon with many miles under the keel.
