Marine & Shipbuilding: composites for a more sustainable marine industry

Issue 166 of JEC Composites magazine examines the role composite materials play in creating a more sustainable and collaborative future in the maritime sector. Topics covered include a report on the latest edition of Metstrade, the event dedicated to the recreational marine industry, a focus on several industry initiatives related to sustainability and/or collaboration, such as the upcycling of composite materials for boat building, reducing the environmental impact of racing boat construction, the use of sustainable composites in high-performance yachting, advanced composite materials offering gains in propulsion efficiency and weight reduction as well as a knowledge base to help the maritime industry become more circular.

This edition also examines the role of composites in electrical grids, which could prove competitive, particularly for submarine cables and the upgrade of electrical grids.

“Where particular challenges are present, composites are warranted,” says Yann Penfornis, general manager of Multiplast, which has been designing and building composite racing yachts for 45 years, in an interview, emphasising what he sees as his mission: “pushing the boundaries of composite innovation.”

Moving composites forward

An interview with Yann Penfornis, General manager, Multiplast

News

In Brief

Report
SMC/BMC emerges as a composite for the future at SMCCreate 2025

Projects
Joint initiatives advance composites in space, defence and energy

Business

Startup
“Software that automates production design and makes pultrusion accessible”

Land transportation
Rethinking mobility through materials efficiency

Report
JEC Forum DACH 2025: a world on the move

Manufacturing

Injection moulding
Process optimisation, trial support and tailored production cells for Clearmelt applications

Automation
Autonomy is shaping the future of composite manufacturing systems

Optimisation
Cutting blade production time from 20 weeks to 3 days

Feature: Marine & Shipbuilding

Report
Metstrade 2025: A record edition!

Sustainability
Wind2Water: upcycling end-of-life wind blades into low-cost modular catamaran hulls

Competition
Sailing towards sustainability: reducing the environmental impact of race boat construction

Project
Composite material technology for next-generation of marine vessel propellers

Natural fibres
New wave of sustainable composites in high-performance yachting

Education
TEcoNaut: building the knowledge base for a circular maritime industry

Solutions: Electrical grids

Grid
Pultruded composites: power to strengthen US electric system

Cables
Para-aramid fibre is revolutionizing how submarine cables are installed in deep waters

Conductors
How composites support electrical grid upgrades

Technology

Solvolysis
Eco-friendly composite recycling and disassembly solutions

Simulation
Optimising the pultrusion process with I-Rheo

Inside the lab
KOMAG – Knowledge and experience for industrial development

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