For this new edition of the Nautical Show, the trend is more green than ever, with new innovative boats such as the Sun Wave, a leisure boat, electric, solar and autonomous thanks to the solar roof, whose silence makes the happiness of aquatic fauna as well as fishermen.
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The nautical sector is heading towards ecological transition with the spearhead of river transport. Thus VNF (Voies navigables de France) whose area weighs 40,000 hectares, manages 6,700 kilometers of waterways and 4,000 structures including locks.
At the same load, river transport emits five times less CO2 than road transport.
“The economic fallout from river tourism in France is around 1 billion 500 million euros per year (…) and as soon as the health crisis is behind us, the sector will resume its dynamic, order of 4% growth per year. “
Thierry Gimbaud, Director General of French Waterwaysto franceinfo
River tourism thus attracts more than 10 million tourists per year, 70% of which are foreign tourists. And if they wish to discover our natural, historical and cultural heritage along the water, they are also asking for clean transport. An issue that the Voies Navigables de France have fully understood.
“The electrification of boats is a major subject for VNFs, which help shipowners and builders switch to increasingly clean engines”, add Thierry Gimbaud.
It is in this spirit that a vast riverbank development program has started, including charging stations for electricity, and even hydrogen, which are also accessible to surrounding cars.
Thus, sailing in silence and without pollution is already a reality on the Lot, where electro-solar boat eco-cruises are offered.
“Our ambition is to establish a network of distributors to design rental bases for solar-powered coaches, to break into the market and change habits”, Explain Dominique Renouf, President of SAS Boat for the Planet.
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In this race for sustainable innovation, the French nautical sector is not left out. It is fully in line with this reinvention of nautical leisure, combining ecological design and Made in France with, for example, theArmen 500 whose hull is 100% recyclable, a very useful solution for managing the end of life of boats.
These boats, designed and manufactured by Intrados and the sailor’s workshop in Finistère, could well be exported outside our borders.