Yacht Class n°27 (dec 2021/jan-feb 2022)

As a prelude to the yacht show, Monaco Marina Management organized its 1st Monaco Smart and Sustainable Marina Rendez-vous, a day of roundtables and meetings bringing together start-ups, major companies, investors and marina developers.

Written by: Aurore Teodoro – Photos: Mesi / YCM

The yachts of tomorrow aims to be more virtuous, but what about the ports welcoming them? This was the starting point of the Monaco Smart and Sustainable Marina Rendez-vous that took place on September 20th, at the Yacht Club de Monaco. An event created at the initiative of Monaco Marina Management (M3), a consulting firm specialized in the development and support of marina projects, and its CEO, José Marco Casellini. “We have been working with experts on the concept of sustainable marinas for over two years. Today, these yachting places are not associated with ecology, quite the contrary,” emphasized the CEO, before adding: “we wanted to create an event that brings together market players, customers, industrialists and investors so that they can meet. It is crucial to stop talking about observations and start taking action. Thanks to this event, we saw that many players have understood this.” More than 250 participants (in-person and online) attended this full day of round tables and targeted meetings, rich in speakers, that culminated in the Monaco Smart & Sustainable Marina Awards, which rewarded “start-ups that stand out. All the shortlisted start-ups had very good ideas and we must encourage these initiatives”, explained José Marco Casellini who considers that, in order to have more virtuous ports, “we must first find innovative solutions to produce green energy so that each marina is independent and as neutral as possible. Of course, we need to reduce waste and then to find suitable systems to treat and recycle the remaining waste. The Smart Marina helps us to find innovative solutions to these problems.”

More than 100 applications

And to organize its Awards, M3 relied on the expertise of the international network Blumorpho, which “combines business, industry and technical expertise in deep technologies with a groundbreaking creativity to design and operate ecosystems that speed up changes,” José Marco Casellini explained. And there was plenty to choose from, since M3’s call for applications attracted more than 110 projects, from over 30 countries. After a first selection phase, only 55 companies were shortlisted by Blumorpho. Then, these companies, which also appear on an online catalog created by M3, took part in a Grand Oral conducted by a jury of experts composed of 32 industrialists, investors and company representatives. In the end, fifteen companies were selected in the following categories: equipment, health, energy optimization, waste treatment, biodiversity and security. Among them, four received a special “Coup de Cœur” prizes (Hospithome, Humint Consulting, Seaflex et Cyrias Technologies) and three were awarded a Monaco Smart & Sustainable Marina Award. “There is TerrOïko, which develops tools and services for ecological engineers and presented its first innovation to market, SimOïko, a biodiversity simulation platform. Then the Greencity design and engineering firm offers customized solutions to its clients, thanks to its perfect mastery of the specific constraints on the city-sea interface. Finally, H2X develops an ecosystem in industrial areas by manufacturing solutions for the production, distribution and consumption of green hydrogen. At the same time, it also provides mobility solutions with solar/hydrogen hybrid vehicles. These three winners will participate in the Monaco Ocean Week 2022”, José Marco Casellini said. After a successful first edition, the Monaco-based company is already looking forward to the next edition, A two-day event – to address a maximum of topics – that will take place on September 25 & 26 2022, at Yacht Club de Monaco.

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