The team AkzoNobel will compete with a new Volvo Ocean 65 on the Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18

The team Akzonobel, led by Dutch patron Simeon Testipont, will face the challenge of the world's toughest sailing teams in the new Volvo Ocean 65 that is being built in Persico Marina, in Bergamo, Italy. The ship, which will be completed in May, is identical to the seven Volvo Ocean 65 monotypes that competed in the 2014-15 edition. Testipont, who made the announcement on Wednesday at the HISWA nautical hall in Amsterdam, said: "The AkzoNobel team is a new team that is being built from scratch, making a new ship feel very good... all new ships are exciting, but this is special. It doesn't seem so far away when I started planning this campaign at the kitchen table in my house, so it's a great feeling to see now that our ship is coming true... nOur goal is to be the best-prepared team in Alicante's departure line, our decision was always to build a new ship. ""If you have the option, it's a very easy decision to make when you're going to compete around the world.". Testipont, twice the American Cup winner and with two Volvo Ocean Race experience, aboard the ABN Amro Two in 2006-06 and Team Vestas Wind in 2014-15, admitted to feeling stomach tickles when he first saw his new ship.

The existing fleet is currently undergoing a process of remodeling of EUR 1 million per boat at the Boatyard in Lisbon. The new ship, which has been built using the same materials and moulds as the rest of the fleet, will soon be transported to Lisbon, where it will suffer rigorous tests to ensure that it strictly meets the criteria of the monotype. The Volvo Ocean Race starts from Alicante on October 22, 2017 and ends in The Hague in summer 2018. The teams will complete a tour of about 45,000 nautical miles, visiting a total of 12 headquarters around the world.