The Yacht Club of Monaco will host the first ever Monaco Smart Yachting and Marina Show in September with the goal of speeding up the transition to more environmentally-friendly yachting practices both in harbours and on the seas.
In the run-up to the Monaco Yacht Show, the inaugural Monaco Smart Yachting and Marina conference will be held on 20th September to introduce new ideas for building “virtuous” marinas and using sustainable and eco-compliant practices.
Organisers Monaco Marine Management say they aim to “present all the new solutions and innovative technologies in favour of the preservation of the environment in order to design more virtuous marinas,” including encouraging renewable energy usage and other means to help in ocean protection efforts.
It also puts a fine point on the direction the Principality is heading in terms of looking to be a leader in the new green yachting trend.
“Smart yachting is an axis of the future for Monaco,” says Frédéric Genta, Interministerial Delegate in charge of the Digital Transition in the Principality.
“It is a component full of potential for the transformation of our economy and our attractiveness.”
The Yacht Club of Monaco has been promoting sustainability for several years already, putting measures such as the SEA Index in place to assess the CO2 emissions of super-yachts since 2014.
“Many shipowners are very concerned about the future of yachting. This trend can only become a reality if the infrastructures that host them are adapted to this energy and ecological transition,” said Bernard d’Alessandri, Secretary General of the Yacht Club and President of Yachting Monaco. “Our desire is to be able to test these solutions within our YCM Marina, like an innovation laboratory.”
The meeting will bring together big companies such as IBM, Schneider Electric and Teledyne, with innovators, investors and promoters of the virtuous marina scene from around the globe who will share their experiences and talk about the development of eco-responsible, efficient and practical marinas, in addition to making them real places to live.
“For several years, we have been reflecting on the development of virtuous marinas,” explains José Marco Casellini, CEO of Monaco Marina Management. “Places of life, smart marinas, respectful of the environment, must encourage the emergence of new activities and services, like the smart cities of which they are inspired.”
Alongside the conference, an e-catalogue of 50 start-ups will be available from 28th July of which 15 will be chosen by a panel of jurists from the field to be awarded the chance to present their projects at the 2022 Monaco Ocean Week organised by the Prince Albert II Foundation.
“The major issues in the conservation of the marine environment are now clearly identified,” explains Olivier Wenden, Vice-President of the Foundation. “Supporting research and development of new sustainable solutions for more virtuous yachting is all the more essential to continue to enjoy the pleasures of the sea while providing responses adapted to the challenges of preservation.”
Photo by Matthias Mullie on Unsplash