What political and structural conditions does the boating industry require to become more sustainable? How can the industry be shaped so that the environment can benefit from developments in boatbuilding and emissions are reduced? These are the questions speakers addressed on the opening day of the blue innovation dock at boot Düsseldorf.
In the fruitful discussion led by Moderator Martin Redmayne (The Superyacht Group, Chairman), Carla Demaria (Sanlorenzo, Chief Executive Officer and Sustainability Officer), Gianguido Girotti (Beneteau Group, Deputy CEO & CEO of the Boating Division), Antony Sheriff (Princess Yachts, Chairman & CEO), Marco Valle (CEO, AZIMUT, BENETTI GROUP), Maja Markovčić Kostelac (European Maritime Safety Agency, Executive Director) agreed on several key points.
To drive sustainability in the industrial sector of boat- and yacht-building, there is a need to improve communication. For one thing, the global market leaders callfor sustainability performance indicators that apply to everyone and are comparable. This is also needed for materials used, but especially for propulsion systems and fuels. Parameters such as the frequency of use of boats and their marina moorings should be taken into account. Within Europe, uniform regulations should apply to the industry and nautical tourism, instead of local or regional rules. The panellists also agreed that communication among themselves must be improved. The cost of driving innovation as a lone wolf is beyond the capabilities of the yards and would not be possible to implement by the infrastructure. For groundbreaking developments to take palce in sustainability, the cooperation of different yacht, boat and engine manufacturers must be initiated so that the infrastructure is suitable for all boats and can be built together. A common framework for these discussions must be available .
A clearer separation in external communication between the recreational boating sector and the commercial shipping sector, as well as from the automotive industry, was also called for. An appeal to politicswas formulated to see the sector as separate and unique rather than implementing unsuitable solutions of other sectors.
In addition to progress in the construction of new boats, the speakers referred to the boats already built, which have left the yards and still need to be incorporated in the lifecycle of sustainability. The construction of new boats represents only a small percentage when considering total emissions. The industry therefore needs to look at measures to reduce emissions within the entire lifecycle of a boat. For example, conversions of existing boats or slower cruising, as well as improved utilisation and use, through "boatclub models," chartering, or shared ownership, would have an enormous impact on emissions.
