The bassin d'Arcachon: a maritime innovation hub

As you look out over the bassin d'Arcachon from the top of the Dune du Pilat, take a cruise on a traditional pinasse boat or walk around its oyster farming villages, you might be tempted to think that time stands still. But beyond the postcard image, the maritime heritage of the bassin also includes a constantly evolving and highly innovative maritime sector.

Twenty-seven ports, 30 shipyards, 326 economic stakeholders... among them start-ups and companies that are developing concrete solutions to accelerate the decarbonisation of the maritime industry.

To name a few of these 'gems', which you may have discovered at the 2023 Arcachon Boat Show:

• ADV Propulse develops a particularly innovative electric propulsion and hydrogeneration system for boats, which enables them to use less energy and produce green electricity to cover on-board needs.
• Beyond the Sea designs and markets kite sail traction systems through two products: the LibertyKite and the SeaKite. Extremely easy to use, the LibertyKite sail already equips more than 150 boats throughout the world. Meanwhile, the SeaKite catamaran is a true laboratory of innovations that is 100% ecological, zero emission and energy self-sufficient.
• Bluenav is developing motorisation solutions that enable any boat powered by combustion engines to be converted into a silent, hybrid electric boat, without having to modify the essential elements of the boat's structure.
• ETM Marine designs, among other things, ecological moorings that replace the submerged concrete blocks connected to the buoy by a chain, eliminating the scraping of the seabed thanks to sliding cables that follow the tide.
• H2YAM offers a simple and quick conversion of marine thermal engines or generators to green hydrogen, biogas or e-fuel. Their solution, based on patented French technology, allows a quick, easy and affordable transition.

These are just a few examples among many others: more and more of the bassin's heritage shipyards are developing environmentally friendly models and offering eco-responsible products, like Couach, or Dubourdieu with its new 100% electric pinnasse boat, the E-Picnic

Economic, environmental and societal stakes

The decarbonisation of the maritime sector is a key challenge. In 2017, at the One Planet Summit, 34 countries committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in maritime transport by 50% within the framework of the International Maritime Organisation (since then, 15 countries have joined them, bringing the number of signatories to 49). In April 2023, the G7 countries, including France, aligned themselves on achieving net zero emissions in shipping by 2050. To reach these objectives, the roadmap submitted in January 2023 by the entire French maritime industry relies on three levers: “energy efficiency (technological, operational and eco-design), energy change (use of less carbon-intensive energies, in particular biofuels, e-fuels but also wind propulsion) and sobriety (mainly ship speed reduction).”

To finance this ecological transition, new BlueTech funds have emerged, such as Team for the Planet, which accompanies Beyond the Sea, or Impact Ocean Capital, a 23 million euro fund initiated by Go Capital, created with the support of the Banque des Territoires and Ademe. Thirty international banks, including the five largest French banks, have joined the Poseidon Principles initiative to help maritime transport stakeholders achieve the objectives of the International Maritime Organisation. One of these stakeholders, French shipping company CMA CGM announced a €200 million endowment for start-ups and companies developing solutions in the freight transport, tourism, fishing, shipbuilding and nautical industries. Furthermore, as part of its France Mer 2030 initiative to federate the public and private sectors around the Zero Ship Emission  objective, the French government declared in January that it was going to allocate €300 million to support innovation and accelerate the decarbonisation of the maritime sector.

“France has leading players throughout the value chain, capable of innovating and committing to decarbonisation [...] Several initiatives and projects are already contributing to the decarbonisation of the sector, but we need to go further and change scale”, underscore the authors of the French maritime industry roadmap. Faced with this kind of momentum, it is essential to give our local maritime sector the means to achieve its ambitions. How can we help it to attract funding, benefit from EU support, and expand on an international scale?

Beyond the environmental stakes, decarbonisation represents a real opportunity for economic development and job creation: the sector is responsible for more than 800 jobs in the bassin d'Arcachon and offers many more opportunities. Qualified jobs that must be perpetuated and multiplied, because they are essential for the future of the bassin.

A highly innovative sector that deserves all our support!