Rina Consulting S.p.A.
RINA-C
Rina Consulting S.p.A., integrates all the engineering consulting companies of the Rina Group becoming the largest fully independent Italian firm providing consulting engineering services to Clients belonging both to the public and the private sector.
ID: 011340223514-19
Lobbying Activity
Meeting with Pierpaolo Settembri (Cabinet of Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas)
8 Dec 2025 · Discussion on the decarbonisation of the maritime sector.
Response to The European Oceans Pact
27 Jan 2025
Combining fish farming with offshore renewable energy production is essential for sustainably utilizing marine resources to meet the growing global demand for seafood and clean energy. In particular, exploring the potential of deploying multi-functional offshore platforms has become one of the EUs most ambitious projects aimed at ensuring the sustainable use of open-sea resources. Research and development initiatives funded by the European Commission, such as The Blue Growth Farm (BGF) project (https://thebluegrowthfarmeu) coordinated by RINA, are focused on expanding marine aquaculture capacity by designing efficient multi-functional offshore installations. These platforms combine automated fish production with renewable energy generation from wind, waves, and solar power, while also enabling microalgae cultivation for industrial applications. The integration of these subsystems into a single complex infrastructure, the shared use of assets, and the combination of various offshore energy generation sources make BGF an efficient solution for both offshore renewable energy production and marine fish farming. The goal is to develop advanced industrial knowledge on a fully integrated, multipurpose offshore floating platform. This platform will provide a protected pool for an automated aquaculture system capable of producing up to 5,000 tons per year of high-quality fish, as well as large storage and deck areas to house wind turbines, wave energy converters (WECs), and photovoltaic (PV) panels. Specifically, solar energy will power containerized photobioreactors for microalgae production. The energy produced will power the on-board equipment, with excess energy used to recharge service boat batteries for hybrid propulsion and eventually fed into the local grid via an umbilical cable. The platform is built using corrosion-resistant, low-maintenance concrete caisson modules, assembled in floating conditions. While various offshore fish farming designs have been proposed over the years, none have seen widespread adoption due to concerns about their reliability in harsh offshore conditions, unproven technology, the challenges of managing remote units, security issues, and high costs. The BGF design addresses all these concerns. To achieve this, the BGF industrial approach focuses on 1) ensuring profitable and safe fish production while minimizing sea occupancy; 2) enhancing fish welfare and product quality while reducing pollution compared to traditional systems; and 3) maximizing electricity production and use on-site, achieving a zero-energy balance. The anticipated energy production at the proposed sites, Gulf of Lyon (France), Arinaga Island (Gran Canaria), and Port Ellen (Scotland), is 70 GWh/year, 53 GWh/year, and 32 GWh/year, respectively. This translates to a CO2 emission reduction of 18,000 tons, 13,000 tons, and 7,000 tons per year. In parallel to the infrastructure engineering design, the project also examined the social acceptance of multi-use platforms by engaging local communities and stakeholders in workshops in Reggio Calabria (Italy) and Islay (Scotland). These discussions provided valuable insights into the factors that influence public perception, which will help guide potential investors in gaining local approval and support for their projects. Participatory engagement revealed that the creation of new jobs, the production of renewable energy, and the enhancement of local prestige were viewed as significant benefits. The project also conducted an in-depth review of regulatory aspects, particularly in relation to the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and the Marine Spatial Planning Directive (MSPD), assessing the compatibility of the BGF Multipurpose Offshore Installation (MOI) with these regulations in France, Gran Canaria, and Scotland. Italy was also included in the evaluation, hosting the BGF outdoor scaled prototype for sea testing at the Natural Laboratory of Ocean Engineering in Reggio Calabria.
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