Prysmian Group and ocean sailor Giancarlo Pedote join forces for the Vendée Globe 2024

Prysmian Group and Giancarlo Pedote, solo ocean sailor and skipper aboard of the Prysmian Group IMOCA at the Vendée Globe 2020, will be continuing their partnership in the Vendée Globe 2024, the ocean regatta known as "the Everest of the Seas". Giancarlo Pedote was the only Italian to compete in the Vendée Globe 2020-2021, finishing eighth in the final rankings, best result ever for an Italian.

“We remain committed to sailing not only because this sport embodies values cherished by Prysmian, such as ambition and the constant pursuit of new challenges, but also because wind and renewable energy represent an important part of our business. Sustainability is part of Prysmian’s DNA, as confirmed by the social and environmental commitments that we have undertaken,” stated CEO Valerio Battista.

"I am pleased with the confirmation of my historical sponsor, Prysmian Group, which has been supporting me for 14 years and has decided to launch a new Vendée Globe campaign, investing to upgrade the boat — proof of our success in the first race. We are aware that our commitment entails the allocation of ever-greater resources, and we have therefore decided to open up to new partners: large companies such as Prysmian that believe in the sport as a valid, powerful means of communication," commented Giancarlo Pedote. "I am equally pleased with Prysmian Group's decision to also join my efforts to protect the ocean. In January, when I got back after my first trip around the world, I brought home a desire to make another trip around the globe in a regatta with a more competitive athletic focus and the feeling that I should do something concrete to protect this magnificent resource of our planet."

"I presented this idea to UNESCO when I met with Francesca Santoro, Programme Specialist at IOC UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, who was immediately enthusiastic. Prysmian Group matched this enthusiasm, deciding to support the scientific part of the project," concluded Pedote.

In line with its commitment to environmental sustainability, Prysmian Group and Roberto Candela, Prysmian Electronics CEO, presented a scientific project developed in partnership with the Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change (CMCC) to monitor the state of the oceans' health using the PRY-CAM technology. The boat will be equipped with sensors for measuring the temperature and salinity of the water through which it is travelling, making it a full-fledged environmental monitoring tool. The data measured by the sensors will be digitised and sent to the CMCC Foundation using the innovative PRY-CAM technology developed by the Group through the PRY-CAM MINILOG acquisition devices. The data will then be analysed and validated by CMCC, and made available to the international scientific community in totally free form for informative purposes, so as to be used to monitor the state of health of the oceans.

The press conference for the presentation of the sporting and environmental project developed by Giancarlo Pedote and Prysmian Group was also attended by representatives of the technical sponsors Helly Hansen, Gottifredi Maffioli, Raymarine and Kohler Lombardini, all of which confirmed their commitment.

Giancarlo Pedote then announced his intention to contribute to the ocean protection, spreading information on this issue, continuing to share with everyone his love for the environment and his feeling of being a part of it, as he had already done during the Vendée Globe, but also writing a children's book that could engage new generations, sensitive to the beauty and vulnerability of nature. "I have two children aged 6 and 8. With them, I share my wonder at this world and my respect for this thing of which we are a part. Children are sensitive and it is a pleasure for me to find the same passion in them. This is why I decided to write a book that I will soon begin to imagine, seeking advice and support from those who have always been involved in children's education and ocean health."