Princess Yachts are proud to support eXXpedition to further protect the oceans

The team on board Sea Dragon, a 72ft scientific exploration vessel (owned by Pangaea Exploration) © eXXpedition

eXXpedition North Pacific 2018 is a pioneering all-female sailing expedition and scientific research mission starting in Hawaii on 23rd June and ending in Seattle via Vancouver this summer led by British skipper and ocean advocate Emily Penn. They will sail the North Pacific Gyre on a pioneering journey to investigate the crisis of plastics in our oceans with a focus on micro-plastics and links to environmental and human health, eXXpedition North Pacific 2018 aims to make the unseen, seen.

"I am really pleased to confirm Princess' commitment to pushing for change in the consumption of plastics, and to limit the impact we have as the world's leading luxury yacht manufacturer in this regard. At all of our events we will stamp out the use of plastic straws, bags and wrappers, and we are now committed to bring about the same change within our global network. We will be asking all of our global distribution and dealer points, which exceeds 100 offices globally, to be following our lead over the coming months. We are delighted to be sponsoring eXXpedition, and wish the team a successful voyage. The Princess community, both professionally as well as personally, are united in seeing the ladies tackle toxicants via education and research, to bring about significant change in how mankind behaves going forward, and we will follow their journey closely." Kiran Haslam, Marketing Director, Princess Yachts Limited.

The expedition aims to: raise awareness of the devastating impact of single-use plastic and toxics in the world's oceans; celebrate women in science, leadership and adventure; create a community of female change-makers and inspiring global ambassadors to tackle the environmental and health impacts of plastic pollution; and champion and contribute to innovative scientific research to tackle the crisis. eXXpedition, the British Community Interest Company behind North Pacific 2018, specialises in all-women sailing expeditions. This is their 10th eXXpedition voyage and the first in the North Pacific Gyre. It has the endorsement and support of the UN Environment Clean Seas initiative and Ocean Wise.

During the month long voyage, the crew will make daily trawls for plastics and pollutants, and collect data for a variety of global datasets and scientific research studies. The eXXpedition crew is made up of scientists, students, artists, filmmakers, business women, psychologists, actors, ocean activists and sustainability professionals, and novice as well as experienced sailors.

In addition to this project, Princess are delighted to continue their support for the ground-breaking work carried out by the Marine Conservation Society of which a campaign to reduce plastic waste is a top priority.

According to the Marine Conservation Society, a study produced by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation produced some truly disturbing conclusions: the equivalent of one entire truck of plastic (8 tonnes) is dumped in the sea every minute and, if we don't change things, by 2050 there could be more plastic than fish (by weight) in the sea.

The ongoing collaboration sees the two brands working closely together on a series of initiatives to help safeguard both UK waters and specific projects across the world, raising money for essential conservation work and driving awareness amongst Princess customers on the importance of protecting their playground.