On 21 & 22 September, the Yacht Club de Monaco welcomed the 5th Monaco Smart & Sustainable Marina Rendezvous, an international platform created and organized by M3 Monaco. Over two days, the global marina ecosystem gathered in Monaco to share solutions, accelerate innovation, and foster international cooperation.
With the support of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and key partners including Bombardier, MB92 Group, and Italian Yacht Masters, the event confirmed Monaco’s role as a global catalyst for sustainable transformation in yachting.
“This Rendezvous embodies the collective energy driving our sector. At M3 Monaco, we believe that investing in sustainability is investing in our common future” – José Marco Casellini, CEO, M3 Monaco.
The opening session set the tone, with political and institutional leaders reminding that sustainability, innovation, and economic attractiveness are not competing priorities but mutually reinforcing drivers of progress.
Céline Caron-Dagioni, Monaco’s Minister of Equipment, Environment, and Urban Planning, emphasized Monaco’s vision to reconcile seabed protection, maritime safety, and yachting attractiveness, while actively supporting maritime energy transition within the IMO through cleaner vessels and alternative fuels such as biofuels, hydrogen, and electricity.
Belinda Balluku, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Energy of the Republic of Albania, highlighted that marinas must be designed to meet the world’s highest environmental standards, equipped with clean energy solutions, and positioned as engines of economic transformation and premium tourism.
Adding a strong international dimension, H.E. Mr Nkosinathi Emmanuel “Nathi” Mthethwa, Ambassador of South Africa to France, underlined the global relevance of sustainable marina development and the importance of South–North cooperation in shaping resilient infrastructures.
Together, these voices confirmed that the Monaco Smart & Sustainable Marina Rendezvous is not just a European platform but a global one, engaging multiple continents in a collective ambition for change.
Conferences and Workshops: From Ideas to Action
The Rendezvous then moved from vision to action through three in-depth conferences, moderated by Neity Maddock, which explored how to rethink the marina of tomorrow.
1. Creating exclusive coastal destinations while preserving nature – Luca Dini (CEO, Luca Dini Design & Architecture), Vienna Eleuteri (CEO Advisor, Saudi Red Sea Authority), and Yasser Salah Al Jaidah (CEO, United Development Company) stressed that each project must be deeply rooted in its territory. By integrating cultural and environmental specificities and adopting a regenerative approach, marinas can not only minimize their footprint but also restore ecosystems and strengthen communities. Yasser Salah Al Jaidah illustrated this with The Pearl in Qatar, a landmark development with 34 km of coastline and 60,000 inhabitants, fully aligned with Qatar’s 2030 strategy for sustainability and economic diversification.
2. Unlocking financial and regulatory frameworks – Gabriela Lobato Marins (CEO, BR Marina) highlighted the critical role of infrastructure, jobs, and environmental education as economic and social multipliers. Derek Van Brussel (Co-founder, Baltisse Marinas) pointed to rising capital flows from family offices, linking marina projects with broader real estate strategies. Steve English (CEO, IGY Marinas) drew on the group’s experience across 14 countries to show how regulatory fragmentation remains a barrier, urging stronger dialogue between investors and governments. Finally, Benjamin Wong (Head of Transport & Logistics, Invest Hong Kong) presented upcoming marina projects in Asia, stressing their role in diversifying economies, attracting international investors, and integrating yachting with new financial ecosystems such as family offices, crypto, and art investment.
3. Harnessing data and AI for sustainable management – Marco Landi (Maison de l’Intelligence Artificielle), Idan Cohen (CEO, Pick a Pier), and Yannick Léo (Government of Monaco, AI & Data) showed how AI and data governance can transform marina operations. They emphasized building solid foundations for secure and interoperable models, including “small language models,” and embedding these tools in a collaborative culture. With the right frameworks, data becomes a strategic asset to make marinas safer, more sustainable, and more profitable.
In parallel, roundtable workshops focused on concrete solutions: start-up financing, adapting marinas to crew and vessel needs, and alternative fuels. A highlight was the announcement of a strategic partnership between the SEA Index® and Pick a Pier, expanding the global community of stakeholders committed to reducing yachting’s environmental impact and strengthening Monaco’s role as a catalyst for concrete energy transition solutions.
Smart Dock – A collaborative Lab for Tomorrow’s Marina
A major innovation of this 5th edition was the launch of SMART Dock, an M3 Monaco initiative designed as a collaborative lab. This project brought together diverse stakeholders to co-create the sustainable dock of the future.
By integrating connected technologies, modularity, biodiversity preservation, and energy transition, SMART Dock has already laid the foundations for a collective roadmap, including a forthcoming white paper and the development of a prototype to be tested in real-world conditions.
Celebrating excellence – Smart Marina Awards 2025
M3 Monaco curated the International Smart & Sustainable Marina Awards, celebrating the most visionary projects across marinas, start-ups, scale-ups, and architecture:
- Marina Resort Cavtat (Croatia) – International Marina Award
- IGY Marinas, Vieux Port de Cannes (France) – Coup de coeur Marina Award
- Marina da Gloria (Brazil) – Coup de coeur Marina Award
- Gwilen (France) – Jury Award for Start-ups
- BetterSea Power (Italy) – Coup de coeur M3 Monaco, Start-ups
- Metarina (Germany/Spain) – Jury Award for Scale-ups
- Kontis (Croatia) – Coup de coeur M3 Monaco, Scale-ups
- Artin Samani, Amirhosein Ardaneh, Zahra Jafari, Atena Toliyat (Iran University of Art) – Student Architecture Award
- Ingenhoven associates GmbH (Germany) – Professional Architecture Award
