• Targeted promotion and promotion, especially in the summer months, due to increased seasonal demand, so that the product and services provided become known to the appropriate customers / buyers.

• Analyzing the yachting industry, it is necessary to remind that its tourist traffic is mainly characterized by seasonality, with the months of June to August accounting for 54% of the total traffic of the year. 40% of charters take place in the months from April to May and September to October, while the remaining 60% is distributed in the remaining months of the year.

• Target group: customers who want high end holidays and getaways through maritime tourism. Specializing in the elite markets of Dubai, USA, Russia and China, where there is a strong interest in luxury holidays and can be financially supported.

• High standard and quality yachts, 24 hour technical support, all the necessary safety and comfort standards that can meet the needs of different types of customers

• Day trips, with organized program, from professional pleasure boats, carrying capacity usually up to 12 people, which are aimed at higher incomes as they include participation of a few people, private tour of beaches and water attractions, diving activities and high quality gastronomic meal which can be prepared by a chef on board

The Sarakakis Business Group will cooperate in the project, for the supply of the machines, as well as the team of Luxury Projects that will undertake the part of interior design. The designed boats will receive all the necessary certifications & will meet the international standards.

With the shipping industry entering a new, environmentally-friendly period, stakeholders in the maritime industry are seeking for ways to reduce their ships’ emissions. Apart from choosing green fuels and scrubbers, ports come to add another solution: Cold Ironing. This is the process of providing shoreside electrical power to a ship at berth, while its main and auxiliary engines are turned off.

How does cold ironing work
Cold ironing goes way back into shipping’s past, as it first appeared when all ships were using coal-fired engines. Specifically, when a ship was berthing at port, it did not have to continue to feed the fire, and the iron engines would cool down, going totally cold. This is from where this process took its name from.
Nowadays however, when ships are berthed, they use their auxiliary engines to support some basic functions. This must be taken into consideration, as it generates SOx, NOx, CO2 and particle discharge as well as noise and vibration.
To mitigate these issues, cold ironing comes to offer a solution. This technology is basically an anti-pollution measure, to reduce air pollution produced from diesel generators, through the use of shore electric power as an alternative.
During cold ironing, the ship turns off its engines while berthed and plugs into an onshore power source. The ship’s power load is then transferred to the shore-side power supply without disrupting onboard services.
With this process, emergency equipment, refrigeration, cooling, heating, lighting, and other equipment are still able to receive continuous electrical power, while the ship loads or unloads its cargo.

In fact, studies have found that by using this method, many environmental and social benefits are generated.

An autonomous control system with sophisticated station-keeping algorithms allows the C-Stat to maintain position, with programmable drift parameters. The buoy is powered by a hybrid diesel electric system, and can travel for up to 5 days with a top speed of 3.7 knots.

The details of the schema above, can be broken down and detailed in the bulletpoints below:

• Electric / hybrid ships (4), in this case passenger ships and Ro-Ro, are a structural element of the proposal as they are one of the main off-takers of the energy produced by the RES units of the islands. These ships are loaded either in a central port (2) through cold ironing or shore power services. The development of electricity services can be done between one of the eligible islands.

• The proposal also includes the construction and operation of two (2) electric / hybrid ships (4) through cooperation with the Department of Shipbuilding of NTUA, a Greek shipyard of suitable scope – e.g. ProMarine Shipyards SA – and specialized LNG engine company – e.g. Wärtsilä. In this context it can be developed in a central port (2) or on an important eligible island (in this case island-4) and a small LNG unit and catering services (bunkering). One is expected to play an important role. which will coordinate the project (1) and develop the LNG station. Another important off-taker can be desalination plants (with reverse osmosis technology) in central high-demand islands (6)

• The proposed coupling of energy from RES and Maritime Transport addresses to a large extent the very important problem of “matching” the production of electricity from stochastic RES (wind and PV), and the demand as they have been recognized – in addition to consumers in local level – and reliable potential off-takers of different levels of absorption safety (respectively: hybrid ships-electric vehicles, desalination plants and H2 production plants).

• ProMarine will be the administrator of the control system of production and distribution of energy (electricity, LNG and H2) in collaboration with a specialized company (see above) but also the coordinator of the project (1) in combination with a specialized research body (p .x. NTUA, CERTH, etc.).