Charter Yacht BELUGA Wins Award for Contribution to Marine Conservation

The inaugural award is recognition for BELUGA’s Owner and Crew’s efforts to survey and protect the marine ecosystem as part of the Great Reef Census.

Based in Port Douglas Queensland, 34.7-metre Moonen motor yacht BELUGA was praised for her owner’s commitment to marine life conservation.  The owners donated the use of their yacht to Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef’s scientists who completed surveys, tested new equipment and piloted research and development which supported the inaugural Great Reef Census to become a pioneering and scalable approach to assessing reef health.

In late 2020, on passage from Cairns to Lizard Island in Queensland’s far north, Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef spent valuable time onboard BELUGA testing equipment and surveying priority reefs.  It was the first time equipment had been applied in a real-world application and BELUGA was the first superyacht to be involved in the Census.

The ambition of the Great Reef Census is to capture reconnaissance data in the form of images from across the entire length of the Great Barrier Reef, up to 40 percent of which has never been surveyed previously. This data will help researchers better understand how the reef is changing year-on-year under climate change.

Led by Andy Ridley, CEO of the global movement, Earth Hour and CEO of Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef, the team developed a model and technology which would allow any vessel to upload survey images of the reef to a central source from remote offshore locations. 

Over 13,000 images were uploaded to the Great Reef Census website for researchers, regulators, governments, students and ordinary citizen scientists anywhere in the world to analyse, view and study.

BELUGA’s involvement in marine conservation extends beyond Australian waters to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands to include supporting a turtle sanctuary in the Conflict Islands, Take 3 for the Sea, and supporting the production of the conservation documentary, BLUE.

As in charter, BELUGA is adept at catering to different interests, whether that’s scuba diving, fishing or contributing hands-on to conservation initiatives. Charter guests looking to experience involvement in the Great Reef Census can have various enrichment activities incorporated into a personalised itinerary.

A robust explorer-style motor yacht, BELUGA was built as a go-anywhere yacht with 4,000 nm range and a wide beam, which gives her an impressive volume for her length.

Available for charter in Australia and the South Pacific, BELUGA is ideal for up to 10 charter guests, accommodated in five luxurious staterooms, with seven professional charter crew onboard, all highly skilled and up for adventure!

Ask Luxury Charter Group for your personalised quote for your next charter.