The Yacht Club de Monaco has hosted the 10th edition of its La Belle Classe Superyachts Environmental Symposium to discuss the future of marine environment protection within the superyacht industry.
The event was organised by the Prince Albert II Foundation and Monaco Government, in partnership with the Monaco Oceanographic Institute and Monaco Scientific Centre.
During the symposium, experts from varying fields such as explorer Mike Horn, documentary filmmaker Guillaume Pitron and founder of Team Malizia Pierre Casiraghi all contributed valuable initiatives during their talks which could further help protect our oceans.
Hydrogen energy was a significant focus of the symposium, with Jérémie Lagarrigue, chief executive of Energy Explorer Developments company EODev, praising its attributes. His ideas were echoed by professionals from the La Ciotat Refit Shipyards where the construction of a new 40,000 square metre platform, designed for superyacht refits and which meets stringent environmental requirements, is currently underway.
The growing number of projects benefiting from hydrogen were also mentioned at the symposium, including 60m Orcageno and explorer Mike Horn’s 35 metre sailing boat Pangaea.
“Hydrogen, batteries, solar, wind, hydro-electricity, we are testing all these technologies in extreme conditions to be applied on a massive scale,” explained Victorien Erussard, captain of renewable energy catamaran Energy Explorer.
The event also marked the launch of the SEA index, created in partnership with the Yacht Club de Monaco and Credit Suisse. Intended for yachts measuring over 40 metres, the SEA index program will help owners assess their yacht’s CO2 emissions and improve its environmental performance.
President of the Yacht Club de Monaco, HSH Prince Albert II, has already officially inducted the owners of 68 metre Ragnar and 90 metre Maltese Falcon into the program, using the two superyachts as leading examples of a greener future in the superyacht industry.