"Environmental protection is at the heart of our concerns, and protecting rich and fragile marine ecosystems is our top priority. If we want to raise our own environmental standards, we must be agents of this change" - Prince Albert II, President of the Monaco Yacht Club.
In addition to the just-concluded Monaco New Energy Boat Challenge, the Monaco Yacht Club is also promoting the green transformation of the yachting industry through the SEA Index®. The index provides owners and shipyards with a benchmark for measuring the CO2 emissions of superyachts over 25 meters. Following the certification of the CAPENERGIES cluster for energy technology competitiveness in France, the SEA Index® has been applied to 15 ports and marinas between Menton, Saint-Tropez and Corsica in France, as well as to Port Hercules and other marinas in Monaco managed by the Port Operating Company of Monaco (SEPM).
With the support of the collective development policy of "Monaco, the capital of advanced yachts", and in order to promote the all-round green transformation of the industry from the yacht itself to the marina, the Monaco Yacht Club will host the 4th Monaco Smart and Sustainable Marina Exchange on September 22 and 23, 2024. The event was organized by M3 Yacht & Harbour Consultants (M3) and supported by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, the Monaco Digital Transformation Initiative, as well as UBS, MB92 and Bombardier. Emmanuel Bornand, Vice President, EMEA and Central Asia, Bombardier AG, said: "As a company where sustainability is a key driver of innovation, we are delighted to be supporting this event again this year, where we have seen first-hand some of the emerging innovations and practical solutions for the environment, which gives us confidence in the new standards of the future."
Driving change in the marina ecosystem
The fourth edition of the Exchange Day will once again bring together 250 technology innovators, entrepreneurs, investors and marina developers from all over the world in Monaco. An exhibition area will be set up during the event to provide opportunities for participating startups and others to showcase their innovations. José Marco Casellini, CEO of M3, a Monaco consultancy specializing in the development, management and promotion of marinas, yacht clubs and sailing schools, said they believe that connecting technology innovators with marina operators and other professionals in the industry to find environmentally friendly solutions for the yachting industry is an indispensable step in the industry's green transformation.
Together, we are exploring the future of yachting
In order to better encourage collaboration, develop sustainability strategies and discuss best management practices for sustainable marinas, a number of workshops will be held during the event: the first will focus on energy transition and sustainability, discussing the transition to green fuels, setting net-zero targets and strategies to reduce waste; The second workshop, with a focus on design, will explore how to build resilient and energy-efficient infrastructure; The third seminar will explore the diversification and innovation of marina services.
In addition to the workshop, three sessions will be held during the event, focusing on how to optimize the user experience through advanced technology, the role of financial institutions in the sustainable development of yacht marinas, and the importance of innovative and environmentally friendly building design in creating attractive and functional marine spaces.
The new generation of Chinese architectural design is full of flowers
The theme of this year's competition for architectural proposals on the waterfront is the design of an innovative floating dock in an ecologically sensitive area, and the jury is chaired by renowned architects Zaha · Hadid, France renowned architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte will also participate as a jury. The design required the entrant to provide a design that met the functional and aesthetic needs of a modern marina while respecting and protecting the environment.
Last year, S3– Group from the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in China won the first prize in the student category, winning the unanimous favor of the jury for their visual symphony "Tide · Moon", which extracts the image of "the bright moon on the sea and the tide of the sea", which brings Chinese literature into dialogue with the southern French coastline.
This year, four Chinese students from Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Shenyang University of Technology, Shenyang University of Technology and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the United States will participate in the competition.
International Smart and Sustainable Terminal Award
At the end of the two-day exchange, the winners of the International Smart and Sustainable Marina Awards will be announced on Monday, 23 September 2024 at 4pm: Start-ups & Large-scale Enterprises, Marinas and Architectural Design (Professional & Students).
Through the New Energy Boat Challenge, the SEA Index® and the Smart Marina Networking Day, the Monaco Yacht Club sees itself as a platform for innovative experimentation, connecting the entire marine ecosystem and creating a more sustainable yachting industry.