The HYBA project aims to reduce the fuel consumption of existing ships. It proposes a hybrid motorization solution that can be adapted to both new and existing vessels.
Faced with global and uncontrollable economic events, the fishing industry cannot simply hope for a calmer oil market. It is therefore racing against time to limit the sector's dependence on fossil fuels in the future. Energy transition is no longer wishful thinking for the industry, it has become an absolute necessity. The merchant navy has already embarked on this path, but the fishing industry is not benefiting from its industrial and financial potential. The sector will find it extremely difficult to make the transition on its own.
In addition to the technological challenge, there is a medium-term risk that the industry will be required to meet decarbonization targets, and that the tax advantages it enjoys for the reasons mentioned above could be progressively limited or even abolished as part of WTO negotiations.
The energy transition will take a long time. In the meantime, intermediate technical solutions
must be encouraged: fleet modernization, development of alternatives to diesel fuel, massive investment in innovation and value-added production to offset fuel prices... The transition to carbon-free motorization requires the development and testing of innovative technical solutions, most of which are still in the pipeline. On this subject, however, the chief engineers of fishing vessels are certain of one thing: they will need more space on board to accommodate this new generation of engines. This will require an almost complete renewal of the fleet, and the abolition of tonnage limits by the Common Fisheries Policy. Here again, renewal of the entire fleet is not an option in the short term.
The HYBA project aims to reduce the fuel consumption of existing vessels. It proposes a hybrid motorization solution that can be adapted to both new and existing vessels. The proposed technology already exists in the automotive sector. The aim of this program is to adapt it to a fishing vessel. It requires little additional space on board, and therefore limits the problems of increasing tonnage (limited by European regulations). The project also involves optimizing the fishing gear. It should be emphasized that the project is designed to be easily transferable thanks to the use of artificial intelligence.
The project is planned in 2 phases: Feasibility study / Implementation. The feasibility study will cover instrumentation and energy analysis, trawl optimization and a study of the consequences in terms of stability and architecture of the new motorization. At the end of this phase, several solutions will be proposed. These will be quantified and the energy gains assessed. In addition, the ship's energy consumption data will be banked and used to provide information to the industry or for other decarbonization projects. At the end of phase 1, and provided that the energy gains are real and the adaptation work economically viable, phase 2 will be launched. This will involve the development and integration of the solutions proposed in phase 1.
A partnership project bringing together the major players in the industry
Convinced of the value of this technology for fishing vessels, the HYBA project is the subject of a consortium bringing together Vectura System (specialist in hybridization in the automotive industry) and major players in the fishing and maritime sectors: CRPMEM de Bretagne, Armement APAK SCAPAK, PIRIOU (shipyard), MARINELEC (electronic equipment manufacturer), LE DREZEN (fishing gear), COPREXMA (naval architecture), COPREXMA (naval architecture), MASSON (gearbox), IMT Atlantique (scientific expertise in data processing), Ecole NAVALE (artificial intelligence, propulsion).(Artificial intelligence, propulsion). This innovative project has been recognized by the Pôle Mer Bretagne and has just received funding from France Filière Pêche.
