The future leaders explain the challenges facing the nautical sector

The challenges of the nautical industry and the decarbonization of the sector were the topics of debate in the second part of the inaugural day of the 12th Nautical Congress being held at the Edgar Neville Auditorium in Málaga.

In a roundtable moderated by the digital director of FORBES Spain, Joaquín Torreblanca, young industry professionals explained the main challenges facing the Spanish nautical sector. "One of the main challenges is the democratization and accessibility of nautical activities," began Ione Astondoa, COO of Astondoa Shipyards. "It is an industry considered elitist, and our job as the next generation is to make it more accessible to everyone," she added.

In the same vein, María Lougedo, director of marketing and communication at Touron, confirmed this vision with her own experience. "I came into nautical activities just over a year and a half ago, and it's true that people from outside see it as something absolutely luxurious, but when someone enters this sector, you like it, you stay, and you never leave."

Another area in which the industry works is in the consumer profile. "One of the main challenges is to capture and then retain them," explained Xavi Sardà, sales and marketing director at Hermanos Guasch. The behavior of the buyer has changed, they inform themselves online, "you have to be present, let them find you using all the digital marketing strategies and then serve them in the best possible way and provide good after-sales service," he emphasized.

"It's important to know the new players," said María Lougedo, who commented on how the consumer profile has evolved, previously willing to make a large investment, "but now they do not want to have that boat or all the associated costs and value other alternatives before being sole owners."

To adapt to these new consumers, another challenge for the industry is the combination of tradition and innovation. "I think the key is to be elastic and moldable, to have the ability to adapt to market changes and understand the culture of the company," highlights Ione Astondoa.

Additionally, digitalization and the lack of professionals continue to be a challenge in the nautical sector. "It's an obsolete industry," recognizes Ione Astondoa. For his part, Xavi Sardà emphasized that digitalization helps save time and professionalize tasks. "You save time by automating processes at work and thanks to introducing this technology we can be more professional," he adds.

Next, it was the turn of Gustavo Santana, general director of the Merchant Marine, and Javier Cervera, president of the Net Zero Sea Alliance, who addressed various 'Initiatives for decarbonization in the nautical sector.'

Santana confirmed the "success of the maritime strategy" of the administration he leads. "The different ministries involved in nautical activities, such as Finance, Labor, or Tourism, have seen that the sea and recreational nautics go beyond the merchant marine. In any case, this should not be a strategy of the General Directorate, not even of the Ministry, but a national goal to value the 8,000 km of coastline that our country has, which represents a great source of wealth," he defended.

To achieve this, he advocated for administrative simplification to order the "tangle of existing regulations, with at least 11 regulations related to the business, and that even include contradictory aspects," he acknowledged. At this point, he indicated that "the committee of experts has already held 18 meetings to address this issue, with a monthly meeting where all kinds of topics related to recreational nautics are discussed, and which by the end of the year will shed light and provide security to the sector," he promised.

Finally, he pointed out that "sustainability, which also applies to recreational nautics, is not just about decarbonizing and designing electric boats: actions also need to come from the sector, a responsible sector that knows what it lives from and is an engine and source of sustainability initiatives to maintain the wealth we have on the coast," in his view.

Next, Javier Cervera took the floor, focusing his speech on the decarbonization of merchant ships and cruise ships, which contribute 3% to global carbon emissions, compared to 0.1% of recreational nautics and 12-14% of light terrestrial vehicles. "However, sea freight transport is the most efficient and clean in the world," he valued.

He also presented the Net Zero Sea Alliance, whose goal is "to decarbonize the maritime and port sector, subject to stringent European and international regulations affecting its activity, as ships must emit up to 80% less by 2025," he emphasized.

At this point, he reviewed the new alternatives to replace fossil fuels, such as liquefied natural gas, propane, hydrogen, LNG, LPG, methanol, ammonia, carbon capture, or electrification. "In almost all alternative energies, hydrogen is present, which is the fuel of the future, although not so much of the present due to the large volume it occupies in its pure state, among other factors," he stressed.

Moreover, he emphasized how important it is to have refueling availability for all these fuels. In this respect, focusing on Spain, he highlighted that "many cruise ships come to refuel in ports of our country, because they have availability of liquefied natural gas to refuel, which opens up great opportunities for Spain."