n the French capital, Vedettes de Paris decided to electrify its fleet of five 250-passenger tourist boats with the help of Actemium Marine. 

The Paris Trocadéro – the first boat to be retrofitted – was inaugurated on 1 February 2024, having been converted into an all-electric vessel by the Actemium Marine teams. This conversion is a first in the field of sightseeing cruise boats, with an estimated saving of 460 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. 

“For several years now, Actemium Marine has been supporting the transformation of the maritime and river sectors towards electric navigation,” explains Olivier Sanquer, Director of Marine Activities at VINCI Energies. “Our expertise in electricity, electronics and marine automation means we can offer the energy solution best suited to the needs of boats (fishing, freight transport, river cruising, etc.) to ensure simple, reliable operation.” 

The teams from Actemium designed and implemented the on-board power plant, enabling emission-free navigation on the Seine. This work was carried out on the basis of conversion- and integration-focused technical and regulatory studies conducted by the Ship-ST naval architecture office. 

The project is not without its challenges. Right from the design phase, the project teams had to bear the sizing of the electrical equipment in mind given the boat’s operating constraints and the strong current of the Seine. 

The Paris Trocadéro goes out on around 10 cruises per day. To ensure the boat can operate continuously and reduce the charging time between two stops, Actemium adapted the operation to a fast (DC) charging system – a solution that helps optimise the size of the on-board battery bank. 

Pre-outfitting was then carried out in Brittany to ensure the electrical installation was working properly, before the final outfitting of the on-board equipment took place at the Van Praet shipyard in Villeneuve-la-Garenne, near Paris. 

To make piloting the boat easier and safer, Actemium also completely overhauled the wheelhouse, installing a specific monitoring and control system. 

As a result, the skippers can concentrate on navigation – and forget about the complex electrical architecture required for this type of system.