SEAFLOTECH POD, an ecological marine mooring without chains or anchors
Lionel Péan’s story, with his Breton roots, passion for the sea and competitive spirit, has made him an ocean racing legend with one of the most remarkable records in French racing history. His conviction that the future of our civilization resides in the oceans and that men and women will live more and more in and under the sea, drives him to promote an ecological and integrated management of the development of maritime areas and an optimization of systems mooring for navigation, water sports and future industrial developments.
As a maritime expert, he understands the importance of knowing the environment and the individual needs of each customer so that the Seafloatech engineering team can design the best products adapted to their specific requirements. His meeting with two more passionate engineers like himself, and the success of a one-size-fits-all collective mooring prototype they created, prompted the team to create a company dedicated to innovative mooring systems.
Interview with Lionel Péan (President of Seafloatech)
Interview carried out by Seed&Click
When was the company founded?
In June 2019, SEAFLOATECH obtained a worldwide patent for the SEAFLOATECH POD® and we started the SEAFLOATECH company in February 2020.
What is your market opportunity?
Seafloatech is committed to ecological management and development of ocean interface areas, and optimization of mooring facilities for yachts, leisure and industry.
Our greatest competitive advantage is our ability to address the global market for coastal development (seasonal or permanent).
What problem does your product solve?
The Seafloatech Pod® is a safe, environmentally friendly and adaptable mooring system from bottom to surface. So it is the perfect alternative to conventional solutions such as chains and anchors and is connected to the sea bed with a singular fixed mast articulated at the base. In addition, a hydraulic piston allows the top to oscillate from side to side and up and down following the tide of the sea, thus minimizing the effects of the tide.
Its main advantages are:
- ECOLOGICAL: reduces the impact on the natural environment and the seabed.
- STABILITY: Controls the floating installation at a fixed point against swell and tidal variation.
- PROTECTION: Its stability ensures the safety of people or property on site.
- SPACE: Reduces the area required by a floating facility by a factor of 4.
- MONITOR: allows environmental studies to be carried out through the installation of monitoring devices.
- ENERGY: allows you to receive any underwater energy production unit.
What is your location and which countries do you do business with?
The company is based in France (Grimaud, Var) and we have already signed commercial partnerships in many countries: United Kingdom, Italy, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Indonesia, USA, Tunisia, etc.
What is your business model and how do you monetize?
SEAFLOATECH sells its products directly or through authorized distributors in several countries. Our goal is to create subsidiaries for each country, established with local partners and with exclusive licences.
In the future, SEAFLOATECH plans to sell construction licences for the international market.
How innovative is your product against your competitors?
In Saint-Tropez, we present the world premiere of our first collective mooring for large yachts, anchored in our SEAFLOATECH POD.
This product can accommodate up to 6 boats, 3 of which exceed 35 meters in length and up to 25 meters, and is equipped with waste water recycling systems. In addition, it will allow operators of mooring areas or those who want to build ports without concreting the coastline to integrate collective solutions and therefore optimize the available space in a safe way.
What is your vision regarding the blue economy?
At SEAFLOATECH, we attach particular importance to ecology and the protection of the coast and seabed by creating sustainable, recyclable and environmentally friendly products.
SEAFLOATECH Pod® has been awarded the ‘Solar Impulse Foundation Label: 1000 Solutions good for the planet’ and ‘Blue Invest label by the European Community’.
And finally, what are your current needs and expansion plan?
For SEAFLOATECH, as a young company, we need three things:
- Find clients (private individuals, local administration, hotel groups, leisure groups).
- Find partners to establish international subsidiaries (JV or Equity).
- Finding investors to provide the resources for this expansion, so we are preparing a major fundraising campaign in the fall of 2023 to acquire the high-quality women and men who will make our innovative solutions and SEAFLOATECH a success.
CONCLUSION
In short, SEAFLOATECH emerges as a catalyst for innovation in the nautical field, focused on sustainable and innovative marine mooring solutions. Based on the experience of its team, the company not only addresses specific problems in the industry, but also contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals and the blue economy. As SEAFLOATECH expands globally and seeks investment for its growth, its vision and commitment to green and efficient solutions resonates with the growing need to preserve and sustainably harness marine resources.
