Hundreds of young engineers have taken over Quai Louis II in the YCM Marina to showcase their prototypes at the 13th Monaco Energy Boat Challenge, organised by Yacht Club de Monaco, supported by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, UBS, BMW, SBM Offshore, Monaco City Hall, NatPower H, and ESA NanoTech.
The programme has already kicked off with the Job Forum dedicated to exchanges between students, recent graduates and major maritime industry players to encourage meetings, work opportunities and sharing knowledge.
Now a major international event focused on sustainable maritime technologies, the Challenge brings together emerging engineering talent and key industry players, such as Safe Harbor, Oceanco, Ferretti Group, Azimut | Benetti Group, and Lürssen, through to 11 July.
The first event begins tomorrow with the E-Boat Rally, a warm-up before the official opening ceremony. Over the next four days, the programme includes conferences, Tech Talks, demonstrations and on-water contests that will bring students, researchers and professionals into direct contact with each other.
Located on the Jacques Boissy Esplanade and Lucciana Jetty and open to the public free of charge from Thursday to Saturday, the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge Village will also offer visitors the chance to discover the prototypes, interact with teams from around the world, and follow the races up close. “The Monaco Energy Boat Challenge is unique on many levels, both ashore and at sea. With every edition we’re able to measure the progress made and open up new horizons for yachting’s future. Competitors, professionals and the public mingle in a spirit that promotes dialogue and knowledge sharing,” says Yacht Club de Monaco Director and General Secretary Bernard d’Alessandri.
Divided into the Energy Class, AI Class, SeaLab Class, and Open Sea Xperience, the teams are ready for action. They will be competing in contests ranging from speed, endurance, slalom and manoeuvrability trials to autonomous navigation and the E-Boat Rally. All technologies are put to the test under identical conditions turning the event into a genuine open-air laboratory where performance is assessed on both energy efficiency and reliability of the systems developed.
“As a shipyard, we have a duty to lead the way. The Monaco Energy Boat Challenge plays a crucial role in driving the transition to sustainable energy, reducing the environmental impact of maritime activities, and inspiring the next generation of engineers and innovators. Our commitment to promoting renewable energy solutions and environmental protection aligns perfectly with the objectives of this innovative event organised by the Yacht Club de Monaco,” says Peter Lürssen, CEO of Lürssen.
Having fuelled discussions at last year’s conferences, methanol is set to compete at the 13th edition which confirms the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge’s openness to an ever-expanding range of decarbonisation solutions in the wake of electricity and hydrogen technologies. The SURGE Methanol Foiling Team Twente project (University of Twente) exemplifies this evolution with a methanol-electric hydrofoil boat featuring a 5 kW reformed-methanol fuel cell, optimized foil control and a lightweight design.
Le Monaco Energy Boat Challenge prolongera les démonstrations en mer par deux rendez-vous internationaux consacrés aux grandes transformations du secteur maritime.
L’Advanced Yachting Technology Conference, jeudi 9 juillet, explorera les technologies émergentes appliquées au yachting, avant la 7e Alternative Fuels Conference, organisée vendredi 10 juillet par le Yacht Club de Monaco en collaboration avec la Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco. Consacrée aux différentes trajectoires de décarbonation du transport maritime, cette conférence réunira experts, industriels et chercheurs autour des solutions énergétiques du futur. Les Tech Talks permettront également aux équipes de présenter leurs projets devant le Jury International et les professionnels présents en Principauté.
Au-delà des performances en mer, le Monaco Energy Boat Challenge distingue les projets les plus avancés à travers plusieurs prix décernés par le Comité de Course et le Jury International.
Parmi eux, figurent le prix Fondation Prince Albert II of Monaco Sustainable Yachting Technology Award, doté de 25 000 €, le Prix du Jury, le Prix de la Communication ainsi que les Tech Talks Prizes, qui récompensent l’innovation, le design, l’éco-conception et la meilleure première participation (Rookie Prize).
Soutenu par MarineShift360, le prix d’éco-conception valorise les équipes ayant intégré une approche globale du cycle de vie dès la conception de leur projet. Grâce à un outil d’analyse développé pour l’industrie maritime, les participants peuvent mesurer l’impact environnemental de leurs choix techniques, des matériaux à la propulsion.
« Les innovations présentées au Monaco Energy Boat Challenge façonnent l’avenir de la conception maritime durable. Permettre aux équipes de mesurer et de comprendre l’empreinte environnementale de leurs bateaux dès le départ n’est pas seulement utile, c’est essentiel. La réflexion sur le cycle de vie nous aide à aller au-delà des hypothèses, en veillant à ce que les progrès soient fondés sur des données et à ce que chaque choix de conception nous rapproche de solutions marines à faible impact » explique Lizzy Howard, Project Manager Marine Futures.
Open to the public free of charge from Thursday to Saturday, the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge Village offers visitors a chance to watch the races live, get up close to the prototypes in the paddocks, discover the latest technological innovations, and interact with teams from around the world. Located on the Jacques Boissy Esplanade and Lucciana Jetty, the Village is also where the daily prize-giving ceremonies and a wide range of activities are taking place throughout the event.
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