Page 20: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (December 2022)

IFREMAR

Image Credit - Olivier Dugornay/IFREMAR

INSIDE IFREMER

Maritime Reporter & Engineering News’ Tom Ewing was part of a select group of journalists invited to attend the Sea Tech in Brest, France. Here he reports on IFREMER – l’Institut Francais de Recherché Pour l’Exploitation de La Mer – or “French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea”.

rest is an ancient maritime city on France’s Atlantic cal allies in France, and, indeed, in all of western Europe, are coast, its history rich in all things shipping and mar- homed in on breaking this maritime-CO2 connection and that itime, from commercial vessels to nuclear subs to big changes can and will result from new digital applications, newly built wooden sailing vessels to post-graduate new propulsion (or old, depending on how you view sails)

Boceanic research and training. and, of course, new technologies and hardware.

The opportunity to attend Sea Tech included an invitation Another Sea Tech message, particularly from Brest: big to visit selected sites focused on maritime challenges. The imaginations wanted, welcomed and supported. There is a full Sea Tech program covered almost four days. Its broad deliberate and thoughtful maritime cabal in Brest to attract theme focused on “Maritime Transport: Towards Smarter & research, support it, attract commercial interests and establish

Greener Solutions.” The agenda ranged from adapting to cli- a glidepath to move to commercial production. As energy gen- mate change to sustainable polymers to electronic navigation eration changes, Brest – part of the Brittany region of France – to polar exploration. wants to be in the forefront of every change and economic de-

Not surprisingly, one top thematic focus, across the entire velopment. Of? cials want their hometown and region to reap conference agenda and within posters and exhibits, was on the bene? ts from new investments in a new energy economy.

efforts to decrease maritime related CO2 emissions. Approxi- “A Caudal Fin” mately 100,000 ships cross the seas every day, responsible for 3% of the world’s C02 emissions, as well as 13% of SOx and Blue? ns is one project that exempli? es and showcases the 15% of NOx. Policy makers and their scienti? c and techni- big-picture thinking that characterizes teamwork in Brest right 20 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • December 2022

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