NEOLINE confirms the choice of NEOPOLIA Mobility and signs a LOI for the construction of its first 136m sailing cargo ship
Press Release -NEOLINE confirms the choice of NEOPOLIA Mobility and signs a LOI for the construction of its first 136m sailing cargo ship following a new international tender.
The project is now in the financial closure phase with the objective of starting construction this summer, aiming for a commissioning in the first half of 2024.
NEOLINE’s decision to select the offer of the Loire-based company Neopolia Mobility, for the construction of its first sailing cargo ship, is motivated by a qualitative proposal from Neopolia, which was the most adjusted to the shipowner’s needs. This decision comes at the end of a second international call for tenders launched at the end of 2020 by NEOLINE with about ten international shipyards.
This choice was made possible by the strong mobilization of the shipyard in the Loire Valley, the members of the Neopolia network as well as the active participation of the Pays de la Loire Region and regional and national institutions.
- NEOLINE is developing a responsible maritime transport offer based on the operation of ro-ro cargo ships with a main velic propulsion system, allowing a saving of 80% to 90% of the consumption and associated emissions compared to a conventional ship of the same size.
- Neopolia Mobility is a company born from the Neopolia network, which aims to federate and make 240 companies work together, mainly in the Pays de la Loire region, on innovative industrial projects in order to guarantee a balanced development of the territory.
Jean Zanuttini, President of NEOLINE Développement, states:
« Neopolia Mobility’s offer emerged from our call for tenders as being the best able to reconcile our technical requirements, our budgetary and time constraints, as well as our desire to participate in the development of our region. We are therefore very pleased to have been able to resume our negotiations with Neopolia and to sign a new Letter of Intent to Order (LOI), on a basis that is in line with our needs and capabilities.
The proposal carried by Neopolia and its members is the result of a strong mobilization of the actors of the shipbuilding industry in the region, as well as local and national institutions. It demonstrates the pugnacity that characterizes these actors, as well as a great capacity of adaptation and a strong will of the Loire region to develop a future industry based on a clean and renewable energy : the wind.
Today, it is realistic to envisage the launch of the construction site as early as this Summer, with a finalized round of financing whose reference investor is the SOGESTRAN group, which joined the project in June 2020. The support of the Region of Pays de la Loire, decided at the end of May 2021 via the granting of a 1.3M€ loan to NEOLINE Développement, also constitutes an important step.
These next weeks will be focused on obtaining the agreement of banking financing, which remains a challenge within the framework of an innovative project. However, our banking partners are very mobilized and sensitive to the commitments made by the pioneer shippers who are accompanying us, such as the Renault Group, Manitou Group, Groupe Beneteau, Jas Hennessy & Co, the Michelin Group and Clarins. Other shippers are preparing to join them. »
Alain Leroy, President of Neopolia, adds:
« Neopolia Mobility is delighted to have been selected by Neoline for the construction of its first vessel with velic propulsion, which demonstrates its competitiveness against its international competitors. We thank them warmly for this. We are proud to be their partner. Since responding to the 1st tender in 2018 and then signing the first LOI in July 2019, we have demonstrated our determination to win this contract thanks to the involvement of our members and the collaborative spirit at the heart of the network (23 companies involved). We are convinced of the strength and scope of such a program for our Territory. Within our various sectors, the ecological transition and its economic reality take an essential place and this first contract is intended to support the development of a new wind propulsion industry for merchant ships, through this world first.
We have worked hard to ensure that our offer is both the best economically placed in Europe and the most technically advanced. This result is the fruit of the work of the project team: Hervé Germain (MYG Design), Pascal Lemesle (PL & Mer) and Vincent Seguin (Mauric), accompanied by Juliette Mouchet, Christophe Delâtre, Jean-Michel Guyonvarch and Jean-Marc Messié (Neopolia). The exercise was not always easy! We have built, deconstructed, thought about, and rethought our offer, we have knocked on many doors, and we have succeeded! In this respect, we thank the unfailing support of the Pays de la Loire Region as well as the State and GICAN.
We must now conclude with our banking partners of the first day the finalization of the guarantee device. There are still a few points to be dealt with, but we reaffirm our full confidence in them in order to find solutions where their commitment by our side will allow the conclusion of this contract and the launch of this new industrial adventure (approximately 300 FTE).
Neopolia relies on its experience in large industrial projects: study and realization of the Carré Consommation for the TGV 2020, positioning on the commercial development of the Nantes Tramway, realization of the cradles for the Haliade 150 wind turbines and finally construction of 3 ships: the Loire-Princesse, the Elbe Princess I and II (for CroisiEurope).
Concerning the maritime activity, our members represent half of the subcontracting of the Chantiers de l’Atlantique. Our file was serious, our skills recognized.»
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About Neopolia :
Neopolia is a network whose vocation is to federate and make companies work together on business issues, in order to develop industrial sectors. Association created and led by entrepreneurs to strengthen the diversification and competitiveness of its members, Neopolia builds strong partnerships with major market players and acts alongside local institutions to ensure the development of industrial sectors through its clusters Aerospace, Land Mobility, Marine, Energy, Offshore Wind & MRE. In 2021, Neopolia federates 240 industrial companies mainly in the Pays de la Loire Region, representing 32,000 jobs and more than 130 different professions, which are present in the network to meet the expectations of our customers and develop new markets and new sectors. These 5 business clusters have generated a collaborative turnover of €50M for the benefit of its member companies through collaborative, innovative and value-creating projects.
About Neopolia Mobility SAS :
In 2018, 20 years after the creation of the Neopolia association by the 12 initial business leaders, Neopolia SAS was born, convinced that the markets were waiting for solutions that Neopolia knows how to provide: collaborative, innovative and sustainable solutions that create value for the members and the territory, but also for the customers.
Neopolia’s mission and vocation is to structure industrial sectors within the Pays de la Loire region. We hope that through the response brought to the Neoline project, the capacity of Neopolia SAS to take an active part in large industrial projects will convince our major market players to continue the development of our clusters.
Contact NEOPOLIA :
Céline JAULIN
+33 (0)2 40 17 21 52
+33 (0)6 36 07 43 65
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About NEOLINE :
NEOLINE was founded in 2015 by a group of maritime professionals convinced of the need for shipping to evolve towards a more responsible form of maritime transport. The company’s mission is to become the first shipowner to focus on energy efficiency, based on a main propulsion system using sail. It is supported by the Pays de la Loire Region and BPI France. The project is certified by the Pôle Mer Bretagne Atlantique, the Pôle EMC² and Atlanpole.
NEOLINE, with its partners, wishes to constitute an innovative French answer to a universal environmental challenge while remaining within an industrial and competitive framework.
www.neoline.eu
Contact : Bénédicte ENAUX
+33(0)9 81 23 16 37
+33 (0)6 08 51 02 43
Visuals available here :
www.neoline.eu/kit-media-neoline/