Decarbonising Shipping
These new types of UFO…

BioTech, GreenTech, FoodTech, MedTech, FinTech… Tech, tech, tech… the waves of Tech are crashing on the shores of incubators, offering their bubbling energy to startups, enabling them to surf on the boards of their entrepreneurial dreams.

Taking on the fight but in a new category

In Aix-en-Provence, in May 2020, this irresistible wave caught three startup surfers, Tanguy Goetz, Clément Rousset, and Corentin Bigot, who, not content with just creating their company, dared to venture into NepTech, a new category in the tech library where Nep, short for Neptune, refers to the Roman god of the oceans. While the term SeaTech seemed an obvious choice for the maritime sector's sciences and technologies, it was unfortunately already taken by an engineering school in Toulon. Thus, the term and company NepTech were born. This product of the surf is defined as an impact company that "innovates to maximise the energy and environmental performance of ships," says Lenna, adding how "the Pôle Mer Méditerranée and its ecosystem have been invaluable to the company."

First and foremost, environmental performance

“Maximising the energy performance of a ship” sounds good but remains a somewhat trivial mantra, easily adopted by many. In contrast, “maximising the environmental performance” of a ship is more surprising and sheds light on the company’s DNA. Replacing an old diesel engine with a virtuous hydrogen (or electric) system is a remarkable ambition in this era of greenhouse gas witch hunts. However, batteries, fuel cells, and tanks all significantly weigh down the still unidentified floating object. Consequently, for the naval architect, to prevent their future UFO from becoming a clunky gas factory with a dangerously low waterline, they must optimise efficiency: less friction, less weight, more buoyancy, better yield… and this is where NepTech’s true essence shines.

A hybrid engineering approach: tailor-made meets ready-to-wear

The expertise aboard the company is impressive: naval architecture, hydrodynamics, fluid mechanics, energy and propulsion, system optimisation… These folks know their stuff. NepTech offers a catalogue of port or river shuttles for passenger or cargo transport, with five models ranging from 12 to 30 metres, pooling a portfolio of innovations in hull designs, layouts, and propulsion systems (electric, hybrid, or electro-hydrogen). The company also aims to provide consultancy services to meet the specific requirements of future buyers of the NEP series.

The innovation lies primarily in the choice of decarbonised propulsion, but there are other pleasant surprises. To reduce the hydrodynamic drag of their boats (by 35% compared to similar units), engineers have implemented competitive expertise in double-hull catamaran design (NepHull), hydrofoils to lift the hulls and reduce water resistance (NepFoil), and a breakthrough innovation injecting air bubbles under the hulls to further reduce friction (NepAir, generated by the fuel cell). This unexpected but welcome renaissance of the hovercraft air cushion, long gone from the seas and confined to museums and naval history books, adds an exciting twist.

The company also uses digital twins (NepTwin) before launching a unit to simulate real-life conditions. The team anticipates, optimises, and sizes with the NepPropeller tool for propellers and the NepDim suite for energy and propulsion system choices. This toolbox undeniably holds significant weight.

A market within touching distance: virtuous port and river shuttles

The market's response was swift. After three years of technological gestation and R&D, NepTech has its first operational shuttle based on the Nep12 model since May 2024 and the private operator “Escale Sétoise” can proudly say that it offers 70 passengers a quiet, odourless navigation experience to the delight of users and the operator. “This shuttle operates from 9am to 9pm and recharges overnight using a standard dockside plug. The startup process is straightforward for the crew,” says Lenna, satisfied. Two more “H2 ready” units are under construction in a La Rochelle shipyard for deployment in Les Sables d’Olonne. “These two NepTech port shuttles will also serve during the much-anticipated start and finish of the Vendée Globe!” she says enthusiastically. “A third project is soon to launch on Lake Geneva, a scientific vessel for INRAE,” she adds.

NepTech's offer and approach appeal to organisations keen to protect the zones in which they operate. “The calanques near Marseille, for example, are highly protected. Our shuttles interest operators because they are perfectly suited to preserving all these environments where biodiversity is threatened by excessive human presence and pollution.” When asked if there is competition, Lenna confirms. “It's an important marker of the market’s existence and dynamism.” NepTech is currently a pioneer because the electro-hydrogen sector suffers from the chicken-and-egg syndrome. “Refuelling and charging infrastructure struggle to emerge due to a lack of boats that need them, and buyers hesitate to invest in such vessels out of fear that ports won’t have the appropriate facilities,” she laments.

Significant International Mobilisation

Outside of France, the maritime industry is moving, showing a keen interest in a paradigm shift. In San Francisco Bay, a 22-meter zero-emission ferry, the “Sea Change,” powered entirely by fuel cells, has been transporting 75 passengers for free between Pier 41 and the Downtown San Francisco Ferry Terminal since 19 July 2024. This operation, heavily subsidised by public authorities and some major private companies, aims to demonstrate feasibility and kickstart the (hydrogen) pump. “In Europe, the Norwegians are ahead and have started constructing two mega-ferries, 117 metres long, carrying 600 passengers and 120 cars,” says Lenna. These giants' fuel cells will produce 6.4 MW, but their hydrogen-electric propulsion will be supplemented by diesel-electric systems, primarily due to the battery weight. In Rotterdam, the “H2 Barge 1” is a 110-metre-long container ship, retrofitted in May 2023 by the Dutch company FPS (Future Proof Shipping) after a five-year project funded by numerous companies, including Air Liquide. It now runs entirely on hydrogen and will soon extend its shipping route along the Rhine. However, its capacity was slightly reduced from 208 TEU to 200 TEU.

The Need to Rethink Maritime Shipping as a Whole

The paradigm shift towards electro-hydrogen propulsion is desirable, feasible even, but we are warned that it’s less about changing an engine block and more about rethinking the complete engineering of ships, especially large ones. Words like innovation, research, employment, interdisciplinarity… all loom on the horizon, albeit sometimes clouded, representing everything us humans like to highlight when proudly reminding ourselves that we belong to the only species with a brain wired this way.

Now is the time to prove it. So, let's get to work! NepTech and others have already made a good start.