A 70ft offshore trimaran that visited Bermuda this year capsized in the Indian Ocean yesterday.

The Multi One Design 70 trimaran, Race for Water, capsized 90 miles from the Chagos Archipelago en route from the Koror Islands while navigating by night in 18 to 20 knots of wind.

The boat’s crew escaped injury and were reported to be safe inside the upturned main hull while the shore team were working on solutions to recuperate both crew and yacht.

Personnel at the military base in Diego Garcia, less than 100 miles away, have agreed to assist the team. No emergency beacon has been set off and no Mayday requested.

Race for Water is participating in the Race for Water Odyssey that will see the yacht travel 40,000 nautical miles in 300 days and make scientific and outreach stopovers in 13 countries to conduct the first global assessment of plastic pollution in oceans.

The Race for Water Odyssey was initiated by the Race for Water Foundation which is an organisation dedicated to preserving water.

The Race for Water Odyssey team of scientists want to better understand the oceans, the impact of plastics on the marine environment, as well as measure levels of pollution in collaboration with government institutions.

The trimaran travelled to Bermuda in April after its first scientific stopover in the Azores.

The boat’s professional team have already sailed more than 32,000 miles and crossed the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and have an experienced crew on-board comprising of Stève Ravussin, Claude Thélier, Martin Gavériaux, Olivier Rouvillois and Marco Simeoni, the expedition leader.