THE NEW IDEA OF ACCESSIBLE AND COMFORTABLE BOATING FOR ALL

A design, production and cultural challenge that adopts the specialist skills of seemingly distant companies to bring innovation and comfort to modern marinas

The world has been changing rapidly, and together with the development of new social and cultural models, the personal sensitivities of a multitude of people, who can finally claim greater attention for their fragile state, are also changing (according to Sole 24 Ore, there are over 7.5 million people with disabilities in Italy, approximately 13% of the population).

Forty-five years ago Ingemar installed the first floating pontoons for boating and they were more manageable and less invasive than traditional fixed structures. Since then, its modular and customised solutions have been applied in very different sectors, from pleasure boating to industry and leisure, and have generated contacts, relations and collaborations with hi-tech companies, university research laboratories, experts and sports teams, including from the non-profit sector, which inspired the new MARINA4ALL project.

Launched in 2023 together with the companies Madeit4a and T1Solutions, MARINA4ALL is defining the new parameters of comfort and accessibility of the marinas of the near future, designed to ensure high standards of safety and to facilitate access and transit not only for people with disabilities, but also for the elderly or those with temporary limitations, such as mothers with bags and prams, ship owners, athletes, artisans, etc.

In addition to special and often complex technical solutions such as reduced freeboard, minimal gaps and sufficient manoeuvring space, the new structures are equipped with special provisions for auxiliary protection and support systems (such as cranes for lifting people and other devices), as well as original patented surfacing sections that absorb oily residues suspended in the waters in the of the host basins.

45 ports in Italy visited in 99 days of navigation and over 1,700 miles aboard Tornavento to “photograph” the accessibility of the Italian yachting offer and urge operators and the public to raise the level of attention on the subject.

The objectives for 2024 include informing operators and managers about the possible new comfort standards of tourist facilities and, above all, involving public bodies, private companies, and the media to help spread and strengthen the transversal message of accessibility for all.

At the design level, the next MARINA4ALL equipment will also include new elements designed to overcome other invisible access barriers, with dedicated testing areas for the visually impaired and blind, such as tactile pathways, contrasting colours and Braille signage.

The 2024 programme plans to support MARINA4ALL initiatives with traditional and digital communication tools and to present the new pontoon configurations at the Venice and Genoa Boat Shows.

The message that the MARINA4ALL project intends to convey, and around which it hopes to gather the broadest consensus, is the idea of a possible new shared development of modern yachting, increasingly attentive to individuality and the environment.

In the central months of 2023 the communication activities related to the MARINA4ALL project generated the publication of more than 140 press articles (print and digital) and broadcast of numerous radio and television interviews by local and national stations.

In 2024 the MARINA4ALL project obtained the patronage of Confindustria Nautica.

Ingemar partner companies in the MARINA4ALL project:

Madeit4A
A company based in Viareggio that designs, produces and markets hi-tech solutions, consultancy and products specifically designed to help overcome disabilities.
www.madeit4a.com

T1Solutions
A Brescia-based company with successful international experience in cleaning marine waters of oily residues and spilled or suspended hydrocarbons.
www.oceancleaningkit.com