On Friday 14th, at the Grande Albergo hotel in Sestri Levante, the presentation of the "Gerris Water Mobility" project was held by Massimo Verme, co-founder of the startup GerrisBoats.
Founded in 2021, the startup GerrisBoats has patented a modular hull platform with high efficiency and sustainability, responding to the needs of reducing consumption and environmental noise and wave generation pollution, with a strong positive impact on energy saving, usability and passenger comfort.
The meeting "Gerris Smart Mobility: A jump into a sustainable future" was an opportunity to present the history and evolution of this innovative idea, from its origins to the latest developments that brought it to the attention of companies and public and private institutions for the creation of a new generation of sustainable boats for public service and pleasure boating.
Two applications of the project were illustrated during the event: the first for "Smart Water Mobility", a "point-to-point" transport with water taxis characterized by an "Uber-like" calling system; the second for a new generation of passenger ferries for local public transport on the "Gerris" platform with software systems for "Smart Ticketing" that can facilitate and speed up ticketing.
The GerrisYacht was also launched, developed on the same L platform as the GerrsFerry, scalable in size up to over 40 meters.
In the "low – zero – emissions" boat market, which, according to studies, will grow exponentially in the coming years, GerrisBoats presents a solution that does not limit itself to electrifying existing hulls or foiling, but proposes a paradigm shift in nautical design and construction, based on a standardized technical platform and created specifically for electric or hydrogen propulsion.
"For a seaside city like Genoa, so particular from the point of view of urban and morphological conformation, it is very important to invest in Smart Mobility and in particular in the "water" dimension as a valid alternative to public and private road transport - declares the commissioner to the mobility and transport of the Municipality of Genoa Matteo Campora – Today, thanks to the research and innovative vision of forward-looking Ligurian companies such as Gerris Boats, green and modern boats are seeing the light of day for truly sustainable maritime transport. In this sense, the "Gerris Water Mobility" project arouses great interest and can give a decisive impulse to the creation of an environmentally efficient passenger shuttle service on water and accessibility for disabled people. Electricity and hydrogen are the future of Genoese public transport, as demonstrated by the large 4-axle project which by 2025 will lead to the complete replacement of all internal combustion engine buses with new electrified vehicles. A philosophical and practical turning point that will improve the public transport service for Genoese and tourists, which we would like to support with the renewal and expansion of the Navebus linking the Porto Antico and Pegli, of great use for commuters as well as for tourists". .
"Two years after the birth of our innovative startup - comments Massimo Verme co-founder of the startup GerrisBoats - with this event we wanted to share our development path with technicians, managers and administrators of private companies and institutions. We were very pleased by the attention reserved for us by the Ligurian and Navigazione Laghi Administrations, in incorporating the contents of sustainability, technical innovation and accessibility that our project can offer.We have several contacts in Italy and abroad who are showing interest and who have begun to support us, such as for example the Scottish St.Andrews University.Our research and development phase was supported by the first Italian shipyard, Azimut|Benetti, by the University of Genoa and by other excellences; we would be very proud to be able to give birth and put into service the first of a long series of these high-tech boats right in our city". Furthermore we are also committed to the development of the GerrisYacht, we have already received expressions of interest from private shipowners"
