The 12th edition of the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge taking place in 2025 will see the debut of AI and autonomous boats.
Organised as part of the Monaco Capital of Advanced Yachting initiative, this will be one of several new initiatives to be introduced to demonstrate and facilitate innovations.
“The AI class will be applicable to all other classes so all electrical units at the moment can be further developed to AI class boats, and they can be racing in the normal classes and the AI classes after,” explained Szilard Czibere, YCM development manager in the sustainability division.
“Like this we cover the main three pillars: decarbonisation, digital ship operations and autonomy.”
Szilard continued: “We called it AI class because it’s quite a broad topic. It’s spectacular when boats get to navigate without any driver intervention but, on the other hand, many systems at a smaller level are already autonomous systems and are using AI to optimise their operations.”
The 2024 event, concluded with the Oceanos Team, National Technical University of Athens winning, while the Croatian Adria Energy Boat team took second place, and third place went to UniBoat from Università di Bologna.
Technological solution
“Our team started in 2016. we started with a competition in Saint Tropez and then we stated competing in the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge,” explained Oceanos team manager Konstantina Delioglu.
“The competition was a real challenge for us. We managed to get the first place in all the challenges and the races.”
The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Sustainable Yachting Technology Award, launched by The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, was presented to the Politecnico di Milano team Physis Peb.
The prize, a grant of €25,000, was awarded for best technological solution in terms of energy efficiency and/or carbon reduction.
The winner will present progress on their project at the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge for three years starting 2025.
“From AI to recycling via a marriage of advanced technologies with simpler solutions, there were so many that grabbed the Jury’s attention,” said Alejandro Velez, MD of UBS (Monaco) who presented their Innovation Prize to Sea Sakhti which also won the Design and Communication prizes.
