What is WISTA France and why a webinar on the subject?
Nathalie Mercier-Perrin: WISTA France is the French section of WISTA International (Women International Shipping and Trading Association), a network of women with positions of responsibility in the maritime sector, who are all committed to promoting the role of women and diversity.
Since 2018, WISTA acts as a consultant member of the International Maritime Organisation. The association brings together one hundred and fifty members in France and supports them in their professional development.
My joining WISTA France gave me the opportunity to offer the members of its community and that of the CMF a chance to talk about a subject that Naval Group is committed to: eco-energetic transition, a major challenge worldwide in which women have a real up-front role to play.
What is the guiding principle of this webinar?
N. Mercier-Perrin: To resume the different statements made, the CMF federates players in the maritime sector with a coalition aimed at defining a shared vision of the solutions that contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions between now and 2050. It’s objective is to boost innovation by helping players obtain funding for their projects.
The importance of regulations as drivers to accelerate energetic transition was made clear, as well as the necessity of undertaking transformation in companies step by step.
Lastly, an example of the project was presented by Bertrand Lars, Director of Naval Group’s Energy technical unit, and Thierry Meunier, Director of Development of territories, Mobility, Ports and Airports at EDF.
What aspects should we retain from this project for the electric optimisation of ships?
N. Mercier-Perrin: As with the car industry, electric hybridisation is one of the areas envisaged to contribute to carbon neutrality. This step forward could help both the civil and military maritime sector, and Naval Group encourages collaborative research to solve the technical challenges of our times.
The project - developed by Naval Group and its partners EDF and Bureau Veritas Solutions - aims to propose a robust method and tools to mitigate the risks of implementing hybrid battery/fuel cell or alternative fuel solutions on board ships. All the forces of the French maritime ecosystem must work together with the commitment of Naval Group’s technical and non-technical teams and drive the innovations necessary to ensure the project is a success!