A moral, regulatory and operational obligation
“Naval Group seeks to be an exemplary player in the sphere of the environmental and energy transition and to help France achieve the objectives of reducing polluting emissions defined by the Paris agreement”, recalls Bertrand Lars, Director of the Energy technical field and leader of the Blue Ship unifying R&D focus. “The Group also strives to meet the low-carbon targets set by the International Maritime Organisation by 2050: this is all about anticipating future regulations, because the process for designing and manufacturing our ships spans several decades, and any change in fuel, for example, would have repercussions on our on-board storage volumes. It's also an operational challenge: we must improve our energy efficiency in order to meet the capacity requirements of the ships we build, which are increasingly energy-intensive with the arrival of new uses and digital technology, while reducing their emissions. What's more, this is something that our customers demand!”
Collective strength
“The coalition aims to unite and push the French position in terms of CO2 control so that our standard prevails at the European level, and to maintain a competitive advantage”, recaps Nathalie Mercier-Perrin, Director of Economic Development and Industrial Partnerships with the French State and Regions. “The normative is strategic, which is why it is essential that the French agree with one another. This is the purpose of the working groups in which we participate: we share our progress on the energy and environmental focus with the coalition's various stakeholders (SMEs, large industrial groups, professional federations, scientific organisations, public players, etc.).
This collective work must not only speed up our response – the clock is ticking to come up with innovative solutions – it must also help these stakeholders to secure external funding for their projects!"
A digital platform to develop solutions
“In order to define this shared vision around a new energy repository, and to identify and implement solutions, the T2EM coalition is developing a digital data exchange platform. This platform specifically aims to foster contact between project owners seeking specific skills or funding from partners,” continues Nathalie Mercier-Perrin. “At Naval Group, our Blue Ship R&D roadmap includes multiple projects that help to reduce our emissions. Our work is based on three main levers: further electrifying ships, improving the energy efficiency of their systems, and using alternative fuels. We are counting on the T2EM coalition to create an environment conducive to bringing innovative technological solutions to fruition!”