MONACO, Sept. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Innovation and sustainability: these were the keywords at the 4th Monaco Smart & Sustainable Marina Rendezvous. The event, held at the Yacht Club de Monaco on the 22 and 23 September 2024, was organised by Monaco Marina Management (M3) under the aegis of the collective Monaco, Capital of Advanced Yachting approach. “It is a key event for everyone to improve our industry and take it forward. Once marinas were seen as parking lots and now they’re places attached to cities, offering unique experiences  where people can share moments together. We All yachting professionals have a role to play and we can point the industry in the right direction,” said Jose Marco Casellini, CEO of M3. A sector-wide desire to write the next chapter in the industry’s future is in fact the reason that brought together 250-plus professionals (entrepreneurs, industrialists, investors, promoters and marina developers, architects), from around the world, representing 25 nationalities.

During the two-day event, an the international jury finally met the participants evaluated the projects presented by the participants who highlighted solutions aiming at reducing the environmental impact, giving out the Smart Marina Awards. The 2024 winner for the marinas category was Alcudiamar Marina from Spain. Located in Mallorca, it has retained the jury’s attention thanks to their forward-thinking perspective on the environmental improvements to be made as well as the long way they have achieved regarding recent environmental applications.

The jury also awarded the Setur Marina Kas from Turkey for its sustainable investments, including solar installations and biodiversity preservation strategies. Committed to environmental protection, it holds several distinctions such as the Blue Flag label and ISO 14001:2015 certification. Its actions include managing invasive species, investing in renewable energy, and implementing a waste management strategy aimed at reducing plastic pollution.

Getting to startups, the winner was Clean Sea Solutions from Norway. According to the jury, it has been awarded due to its strong projects helping the reduction of plastics in marinas and a forward thinking to reduce plastic pollution in the ocean. Regarding scaleups, first place went to Ecocean from France for their strong involvement with biodiversity and scientifically proven help tin regenerating marine life in marinas. Innovators are also being offered a support program by Robert Allen Law, partner of the event, to help them develop internationally.

Architects, on their hand, participated to a call for ideas to design an innovative and sustainable floating marina in the sensitive Calanques area of Marseille. Winning the category is Structurelab from Germany. The jury, headed by Zaha Hadid Architects, mentioned their solution is a very elegant and effective design proposal: it presents a clear, simple, and effective narrative with well-considered modular design concepts. The design itself is both exciting and elegant, demonstrating high effectiveness and commendable presentation style.  The student architecture prize went to Cornelia Bosman from the University of Pretoria, who stood out for her in-depth approach, combining innovation with exemplary eco-responsible thinking.

Arrogant Architects from Bulgaria has gained the Coup de Coeur Award initiated by the public, due to its commitment to sustainability by implementing artificial nurseries, improving thermal insulation, using seawater heat pumps, and integrating prefabricated and local materials to reduce CO2 emissions. Their modular approach also optimizes construction processes, reducing costs and maximizing efficiency.

“This is the fourth edition and we’re glad to say that we’ve experienced that the innovations brought by startups and scaleups participating to this event two years ago are actually being used by marinas to reduce consumption, have better efficiency and being more sustainable,” added Casellini. Alongside roundtables, speed networking and conferences, the participants, as such as Klaus Peters, CEO InterMarinas, were also invited onboard Sanlorenzo 50 Steel Almax, moored in the YCM Marina, and which was awarded 3 stars in the SEA Index certification, for a networking breakfast on Monday morning. The event is supported by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and Extended Monaco (the Principality’s digital transition programme), alongside UBS, MB92 Group, Bombardier, the Italian Yacht Masters Association and Robert Allen Law.

For more information:
Press Office LaPresse - ufficio.stampa@lapresse.it

A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/954da1fe-3651-4752-8c4f-b787898c9edb