( CNN ) -- It is one of the most iconic ports in the world , the dramatic backdrop to everything from ancient Roman sailing ships to World War Two military vessels and gas-guzzling speedboats . Now London 's historic River Thames has played host to a new generation of boat -- one which could revolutionize not just the future of nautical design , but scientific research on the high seas . Introducing MS Turanor Planet Solar -- the world 's largest solar-powered boat . Sunny disposition . Resembling more `` Starship Enterprise '' than a modern catamaran , the 35-meter vessel arrived in the British capital last week -- its last stop on a scientific expedition across the Atlantic . Featuring an expandable deck covered in over 500 square meters of solar panels , the 60-ton vessel is completely powered by the sun . More than 800 solar panels charge enormous lithium-ion batteries stowed in the catamaran 's twin hulls , which power two electric motors at the back . `` On a full battery we can run for 72 hours without sun , '' says captain Gerard d'Aboville , who is also the first man to row solo across the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans . `` I receive meteorological forecasts for the next week , which update on our map every hour , so I can see the sunniest route to take . '' Eco expedition . The $ 16 million vessel cut an impressive figure as it cruised beneath London 's raised Tower Bridge , marking the end of an almost three-month scientific expedition along the Atlantic 's warm Gulf Stream . Heading off from Miami in June , the boat 's team of scientists examined water and air samples , as part of their research into climate change . Led by University of Geneva climatologist Martin Beniston -- a member of a United Nations-backed panel on climate change that won the 2007 Nobel peace prize -- they used high-tech `` vacuum cleaners '' to measure aerosols ( fine particles in the air ) and winches which plunged 200 meters below the water . Watch : Stunning time-lapse of Antarctic science mission . `` The fact that the boat does n't create any pollutants means what we measure is as natural as possible , '' said Beniston . `` And in terms of awareness-raising , we 're carrying out the research in a boat which could be connected to the future and reducing our carbon footprint . '' Record breaking design . It 's not the first time the high-tech vessel has made headlines around the world . In May last year it also became the first solar-powered vessel to circumnavigate the globe , traveling at an average speed of five knots . It continued to break the record books earlier this year when it made the fastest solar-powered crossing of the Atlantic -- traveling from Spain to the West Indies in 22 days and breaking its own previous record by four days . See : High-tech yacht aiming to smash speed record . The brainchild of Swiss eco-adventurer Raphael Domjan , the high-tech boat was designed by New Zealand nautical architecture company LOMOcean Design , and built by German shipyard Knierim Yachtbau in 2010 . And with room for up to 60 people , you 're more likely to see the unusual boat before you hear it . Unlike other diesel-powered ships , MS Turanor Planet Solar glides silently across the water . `` The boat has a very special look , with her expandable deck , '' said d'Aboville . `` In fact , we were two miles off the coast of Monaco when some people called the police to say there was an airplane on the water . '' Old name , new look . But for such a futuristic-looking vessel , MS Turanor Planet Solar has an ancient-sounding name . `` Turanor '' was named after the word for `` power of the sun '' in J.R.R Tolkien 's `` Lord of the Rings '' trilogy . It may also prove to be the beginnings of an epic adventure -- this time on the high seas .
World 's largest solar-powered yacht cruises beneath Tower Bridge . MS Turanor Planet Solar features over 500 square meters of solar panels . Completes scientific expedition along Atlantic 's Gulf Stream . $ 16 million vessel could revolutionize nautical design , climate change research .