New International Electric Marine Association HQ in Barcelona

The International Electric Marine Association (IEMA) has announced that it will be establishing its new headquarters in Barcelona, starting January 2025. The decision, approved by the IEMA board of directors, was driven by several overall strategic factors:

• Barcelona’s proximity to the heart of maritime innovation in the EU
• its closeness to international regulatory bodies such as the International Marine Organization (IMO) and the International Standardization Organization (ISO), and
• the city’s strong global leadership, particularly through its major public infrastructure hub, the Port of Barcelona.

IEMA will continue to operate through its regional representatives across four continents, with plans to establish full-time offices in the US, EU, China, and the South Pacific to support its global operations.

Barcelona is a growing European hub for electric boating, with a number of local e-boat companies being showcased for the huge international audience of sailing fans attending the America’s Cup races.

The competition has been very keen on working to show its commitment to decarbonizing all of the races and infrastructure around them. The new all-electric 23E from De Antonio launched this past spring was selected as the Official Electric Boat of the 37th Cup and is being used to set the racecourse and assist the new autonomous electric racecourse marks.

Barcelona a growing e-boat hub

Three other local electric boatyards – Electric Inside, Magonis and Zephyr Boats were selected by the Government of Catalonia to be used for the Barcelona Nautical Capital Foundation during the Cup. The Magonis e-550 is also being used as a general support boat.

ZEN Yachts was one of winners of the 2023 Gussies Electric Boat Awards for its ZEN50 solar catamaran with fully automated semi-rigid wingsail designed and built by Ayro. ZEN is just finishing up their first build for delivery to client.

All of these companies can be found at the Vela Marina in Barcelona, the launching area for the America’s Cup races, and also home to a high speed DC charging station from Aqua superPower. A station is also installed in the Port of La Rápita on the Catalan Coast, creating the first legs of a high speed charging corridor.

Volta Yachts is a Barcelona-based dealer that has been specializing in electric and hybrid boats since 2016 and are agents for ZEN, Magonis, Sun Concept, Soel Yachts, La Bella Verde,  NaviWatt, Vision Marine Technologies, Silennis, X-Shore and Candela.

This July the city launched a new all-electric boat that has been a big hit. It connects the popular La Rambla tourist district with Barceloneta beach, crossing the port in just 10 minutes from the Colón area to the Beach.

IEMA a key player in global industry

As another indication of the enthusiasm for electric boating, Barcelona hosted its first electric boat show this past May, The Electric Boat Experience, organized by Port Olímpic in cooperation with Spain’s electric boat association – Asociación Nacional de Barcos Eléctricos (ANBE) and…IEMA.

Since its launch in September 2023, IEMA has rapidly grown into a key player in the electric marine industry, attracting over 80 members worldwide. Members include top industry commercial and recreational names including Torqeedo-Yamaha, Honda R&D, Genevos and Navalt; infrastructure leaders Port of Barcelona; shore power solutions provider Kempower; electric outboard motor maker ePropulsion; drivetrain manufacturers Vita Power, and battery technology specialists CATL and Kreisel.

The new Barcelona headquarters will oversee IEMA’s global agenda, with a focus on membership services, project management, events, and partnerships.

Adria Jover, President of IEMA, shared his excitement about the move, stating, “Barcelona is a worldwide port and a global brand, with an unequivocal commitment to decarbonization. We believe IEMA will have the best platform to fully develop its potential and address its international agenda.”

Ramon Agenjo, the president of Barcelona Global, said that “IEMA’s decision is a great step forward in the work we are carrying out through our investment attraction agency, Barcelona & Partners, to make Barcelona a benchmark city worldwide for talent and investment, primarily in the blue economy”.

Looking ahead, IEMA has a dynamic agenda planned for 2024/25. This includes the release of the first sales market indicators for the recreational sector by the end of 2024 and for the commercial sector by the second quarter of 2025. Additionally, IEMA will participate in numerous industry events and initiatives aimed at promoting the electric marine sector.

IEMA is actively growing its membership and invites you to be a catalyst for change as part of the electric marine industry. More information can be found on their website.

IEMA  De Antonio Yachts  Magonis  ZEN Yachts  Electric Inside  Zephyr Boats  Volta Yachts