FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
|
World
Courier Sponsors Tara Oceans’ Groundbreaking Climate Change Research
FRANKFURT (Germany), February 16, 2010 − As official logistics supplier to the Tara
Oceans expedition, World Courier will transport concentrated seawater samples
under a variety of rigorous temperature-controlled conditions from some of the
world’s most remote ports-of-call over the next three years. World Courier’s
contribution will provide much-needed support to this important international
research project aimed at deepening the knowledge of marine biodiversity and
better understanding the impact of climate change on our oceans.
In September 2009, Tara Oceans scientists embarked on an
ambitious three-year voyage of discovery through the Mediterranean, Red Sea,
Indian Ocean and beyond. Throughout this expedition, an international team of
oceanographers, ecologists, biologists and physicists will continuously explore
the world’s oceans and seas using, for the first time ever, identical
collection and observation methods. The water and sea samples collected from
oceans throughout the world will enable scientists to build an invaluable
database for studying the biomass and cell world and to measure the impact of
global warming on our oceans.
“The increase in the
world’s CO2 levels and its acidifying effects on the oceans lay at
the heart of the research,” says Klaus Hachmann, World Courier’s Regional
Director for Nordic, Central and Eastern Europe, whose Frankfurt-based
Operations team manages all transport and logistics for the expedition. Samples are prepared
on board for pick-up every four to six weeks by World Courier as Tara arrives
in each sequential port. Specimens are stored and shipped in a variety of
temperature ranges including 15oC to 25oC (controlled
ambient), 2oC to 8oC (refrigerated), -80oC
(frozen) and -186oC (packed in liquid nitrogen). They are forwarded
to Frankfurt (Germany) by World Courier where they are sorted and catalogued
on-site in conjunction with researchers from the European Molecular Biology
Laboratory (EMBL) before being re-packaged and shipped onward to university
laboratories in France, Spain, Germany and the U.S.
“World Courier has been integral to the global organization
of the expedition and as such, I consider World Courier a full member of the
Tara Oceans team,” says Romain Troublé, Tara Oceans’ Chief Operating Officer.
“If you compare the costs and energy of the expedition to each sample shipped,
you understand that you need complete trust in your logistics provider. The people
at World Courier are doing an amazing job.”
“With about half of the world’s CO2 production
absorbed by planktonic marine organisms before being converted to oxygen
through photosynthesis, our environmental future is closely linked to the fate
of microscopic ocean life,” says Mr. Hachmann. “We are proud to be a part of this exciting research and are
delighted that the scientists at Tara Oceans have placed their confidence in
World Courier to manage their delicate samples.”
About Tara
Tara is a 36-meter two-masted sailing ship weighing 120 tons
designed to accommodate an ultra-modern on-board laboratory, six crew members,
six scientists and, for the next year, three documentary film-makers.
After debarking from her home port of Lorient (France) in September
2009, Tara navigated the Mediterranean, Suez Canal and Red Sea, reaching the
Gulf of Aden in late January 2010. Exploration will continue in the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, Persian
Gulf and Indian Ocean before the conclusion of this leg in Cape Town (South
Africa) in July 2010. In addition to studying the impact of climate change on
our oceans, Tara Oceans is dedicated to heightening the environmental awareness
of the public, especially children. The research team will be joined by local
artists, journalists, scientists and cultural personalities from each country
visited as they proceed towards Cape Town. The voyage can be followed in
real-time on Tara’s website under the FOLLOW TARA LIVE link at http://oceans.taraexpeditions.org.
About
World Courier
Incorporated in
1969 and headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut (USA), World Courier is the largest and most
experienced specialty courier service with a network of over 140 wholly-owned
ISO 9001-certified offices operating in 50 countries. It also operates the
world’s largest integrated company-owned network of GMP-compliant
investigational drug storage facilities in 11 developing and strategic
locations. With its fully GxP-compliant transport and supply chain system,
World Courier meets the most demanding industry requirements for managing time-
and temperature-sensitive clinical trial materials used in global studies and is an
acknowledged leader in delivering customized solutions, temperature-control and
value-added services.
-
3 0 -
Contacts
World Courier (Deutschland)
GmbH
Klaus Hachmann
Regional Director (Nordic, Central & Eastern Europe)
Telephone: 49 211 942 27
27
Email: khachmann@worldcourier.de
World Courier Management Inc.
Noel Foucart
Director
Global Marketing
Telephone:
32 2 712 50 80
Email:
nfoucart@worldcourier.be
Website:
www.worldcourier.com
Tara Oceans
Email: contact@taraexpeditions.org
Website: http://oceans.taraexpeditions.org