2nd Monaco Smart Yacht Rendezvous: a glimpse into the future of sustainable yachting

Promote sustainable solutions and new technologies for the yachting industry, notably yachts over 24m, was the key objective of the 2^nd Monaco Smart Yacht Rendezvous, the event held as part of the 7th Monaco Ocean Week, under the aegis of the collective ‘Monaco, Capital of Advanced Yachting’ approach. The Yacht Club de Monaco hosted the 2nd Monaco Smart Yacht Rendezvous supported by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation alongside major partners UBS, Sindalah, the shipyard MB92 Group and Wider Yachts.

For the last two years, through this networking event which is a natural corollary to the Monaco Smart & Sustainable Marina Rendezvous (whose next edition will took place on 22-23 September 2024), organiser M3-Monaco Marina Management has brought together the yachting ecosystem of shipyards, designers and innovation players to progress the energy transition and eco responsible solutions for this industry.

“Navigating a course to a sustainable horizon in the yachting industry is not just about wind and sails, but also innovation and collective commitment – declared José Marco Casellini, CEO of Monaco Marina Management – From concept to dismantling every decision directs us towards a future where conscience meets excellence. We must harness the air of change and lead our industry towards an ocean of ethical and responsible actions”.

The Monaco Smart Yacht Rendezvous in detail

Forty startups and scaleups were selected out of 350 applicants to the Monaco Smart Yacht Rendezvous and listed in an e-catalogue. They presented their innovations to members of a jury comprising 20 industry professionals and investors during 149 remote interviews. Their technologies and new solutions were studied to better understand all aspects linked to a yacht’s whole life cycle, from R&D to the way it is built, used and eventually dismantled.

“All stakeholders in our sector need to be driving technological progress if we are to make the maritime world more sustainable. And it has to be a collective effort” stressed Bernard d’Alessandri, General Secretary of YCM which hosted the event.

For participants, the 2nd Monaco Smart Yacht Rendezvous was an opportunity to share expertise and lay foundations for tomorrow’s “smart yacht” at topic specific workshops. These Smart Think Tank discussions will be compiled in a white paper available on open source from May. The brainstorming will serve to put forward concrete achievable solutions to make yachting a more conscientious industry. “This event plays a role in fundamentally transforming the yachting industry by combining innovation and sustainability where excellence and environmental responsibility work hand in hand. We need the yachting industry to be an integral part of the equation”, said Olivier Wenden, Vice-President of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.

The two days of the Monaco Smart Yacht Rendezvous provided a networking opportunity between key industry players and encouraged productive collaborations. According to explorer Mike Horn, “We need startups, we need ideas, we need the young generation to change the mistakes of the past”. The explorer was keen to see the different solutions on show in the exhibition area like for example sailor Yves Parlier’s Beyond the Sea and Coreod Space, a French startup presenting its AI-powered virtual reality helmet.

Round Tables

There were three round tables during the Monaco Smart Yacht Rendezvous. André Gaillard, General Secretary of the French Federation of Maritime Pilots & Vice-President of the International Maritime Pilots Association; Adrien Thoumazeau, Research & Development, Naval Architect; Daniele Bottino, Europe Ltd Manager, Regional Business Development – ABS; Giedo Loeff, head of R&D at Feadship; and Giuseppe Sachero, Vice-President Industrial Solution South West Europe Siemens Energy, spoke at length about “environmental, economic and functional factors determining yachting’s energy transition”. High on the discussion agenda were solutions offered by new engine technologies, propulsion and alternative fuels, with hydrogen often a focus of the debate following a talk by Michel Delpon, France 2030’s Ambassador for Hydrogen under the aegis of President Emmanuel Macron, on solutions already available: “Today, 40 countries have now developed a major hydrogen strategy and France was fortunate to be among the first with many startups having now opted for this solution”.

Bob Wagemakers, Director and naval architect at Virtue Yacht Refit Management; Guillaume Perben, CEO of Composite Recycling; Laurent Thiebaut, General Manager France Solution at Rolls Royce/MTU; Marcello Maggi, President of Wider Yachts and Rob Papworth, Managing Director of MB92 La Ciotat discussed “synergy between newbuild and refit shipyards with a collaborative approach”, and how industry players could join forces to improve efficiency, sustainability and innovation in yacht design and maintenance and aim for a circular economy.

Discussed in detail at third round table of the 2^nd Monaco Smart Yacht Rendezvous were “regulations and incentives for the yachting industry given the challenges ahead”. How regulatory authorities, industry professionals and yacht owners can collaborate to create an environment more conducive to innovation while complying with safety and sustainability standards. Issues addressed by Xavier Perrone, Commercial Manager at Hill Robinson; Mark Kruidenier, Business Development Manager, DNV; Nikolas Rabier, Inspector for the Maltese flag; and Billy Canellas, Head of Asset Management at NEOM. In particular, regulations and their impact on destinations were discussed specifically aimed at protecting the coastal environment and protecting marine resources to boost sustainable development and ecotourism.

Winners

The international jury awarded two Smart Innovative Yacht Awards this year, one to the startup Composite-Recycling and another to the scaleup Greenboats.

As Guillaume Perben, CEO & Co-Founder of Composite-Recycling, explains, the startup “recycles composite materials used to build boats and wind turbines and enables them to become new boats in a way that closes the loop of the constituent materials. We are very pleased to have won this award for the work we’re doing on recycling boats, helping make boating sustainable and something that no longer harms the environment”.

“ We are delighted to have won this award and been recognised by these industry giants – states Loris Schimanski, Business Developer of Greenboats – Over the last few years, we’ve been working flat-out on R&D to try and develop fibres that can compete with glass fibres and, even better, be lighter. It’s a solution based on panels that can be more easily assembled in the big shipyards to reduce the carbon footprint”.