KEY POINTS:
British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson may back New Zealand's Earthrace powerboat in its second bid to break the world record for circumnavigating the globe running on biodiesel.
Sir Richard took a 45-minute trip aboard Earthrace last week from St Catherine's Dock, on the Thames, to Chelsea Harbour.
As he stepped ashore, he told the BBC: "We're certainly looking at this as a possible project to get involved in and fund - it's extremely worthwhile.
"I'm a big supporter of biofuels and I think it's important to raise awareness of how efficient they are."
Some commentators have suggested this will lead to sponsorship by Sir Richard's Virgin companies, but the New Zealand connections of the boat said no deal was yet in place.
Sir Richard, who is renowned for his social campaigning, visited New Zealand this year. While here he discussed with Energy Minister David Parker the issue of biofuels for airlines.
Mr Parker, who is in charge of the Government's climate-change policy, said he had asked for the meeting to discuss how New Zealand could help the world fight climate change.
"Sir Richard has made a bold and visionary commitment to the challenge of tackling climate change," he said.
"I am providing him with information on some of the world-leading biofuels research and development being undertaken by New Zealand companies."
Mr Parker said Sir Richard had pledged to spend $4.5 billion from his rail and airline profits over the next 10 years on projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including biofuels research.
A big global sponsor would relieve some of the problems encountered by Earthrace organisers on their first round-the-world record attempt, which was abandoned on June 1 after a series of logistical problems-partly due to poor planning.
Earthrace left Barbados on March 10, wore out a set of propellers on the first leg to the Panama Canal, and lost a second set in a fatal collision with an unlit fishing boat off the Guatemalan coast.
Earthrace restarted the record attempt on April 7, from San Diego but was stranded in the remote western Pacific at Palau. It was eventually unable to get back to San Diego to beat the 75 days set by the British boat Cable & Wireless in 1998.
- NZPA
