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Monaco Energy Boat Challenge 2026: Italy takes centre stage as AS Labruna brings Arcistratega among the leading electric projects
14-07-2026 | Company News
Italian universities and industry made their mark at the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge 2026. Three universities received major awards, while AS Labruna stood out in the Open Sea Class with Arcistratega, the 600 HP fully electric boat bringing a new vision of electric boating onto the water, based on the integration of propulsion, energy systems and digital technologies.
Italy returns from the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge with significant results and, above all, confirmation that it has the expertise and technologies needed to compete with some of the most advanced players in the international marine industry. The thirteenth edition of the event, organised by the Yacht Club de Monaco, brought together students, engineers, universities and companies from 21 countries in the Principality, once again transforming Monaco’s harbour into a major laboratory for sustainable marine mobility.
Among the Italian protagonists was AS Labruna, which competed with Arcistratega in the Open Sea Class, the category dedicated to electric or hydrogen-powered boats already close to real-world application and tested at sea in terms of performance, range, reliability and safety. It is precisely this practical dimension that makes the Monopoli-based company’s project particularly interesting. Arcistratega was not developed solely to take part in a competition, but as a technological platform on which solutions for the future of boating can be developed, integrated and tested.
AS Labruna and Arcistratega: 600 electric HP on the water in Monaco
Ten metres in length, two 300 HP electric outboards and an energy capacity of 250 kWh are just some of the key figures behind Arcistratega, the fully electric boat with which AS Labruna took on the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge’s sea trials.
During the YCM Speed Record, Arcistratega reached 29 knots, ranking among the three fastest boats in the trial. Only the Frauscher x Porsche 790 Spectre, which broke the 50-knot barrier and reached 51 kn, and Energy, with a result of 45 kn, finished ahead of the Italian boat.
Speed, however, tells only part of the story behind AS Labruna’s work. The project stems from a broader vision centred on energy integration. The goal is not simply to install electric propulsion on a boat, but to understand how energy can be generated, stored, distributed and managed as efficiently as possible, connecting different technologies within a single architecture.
Arcistratega combines a 250 kWh energy storage system, photovoltaic panels and a methanol fuel cell dedicated to auxiliary services. This configuration is particularly relevant in an edition of the Challenge where alternative fuels, and methanol in particular, gained increasing prominence in real-world testing at sea, progressively moving from the realm of promise towards practical applications.
Electric boating is not just about engines
For AS Labruna, the electric transition in boating cannot be reduced to simply replacing an internal combustion engine with an electric one. The challenge involves the boat’s entire energy system and its ability to manage onboard energy, improve overall efficiency and integrate different solutions in a coherent way.
Arcistratega was created with precisely this objective and serves as an experimental platform on which batteries, energy generation systems and digital technologies can be tested under real operating conditions. From this perspective, Monaco represented far more than a competition, giving AS Labruna the opportunity to collect data on system behaviour, assess the boat’s performance and engage directly with international companies, designers and research centres.
This is probably one of the most interesting aspects of the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge: bringing university prototypes, industrial projects and technologies that could find their way onto the boats of the coming years into the same harbour, creating common ground where research, experimentation and the market can interact directly.
Beyond propulsion: Arcistratega also focuses on data
Another element characterising AS Labruna’s journey concerns the way a boat is monitored, managed and maintained throughout its lifecycle.
Arcistratega integrates Sea 4.0 for remote monitoring of key onboard parameters, artificial intelligence systems applied to predictive maintenance and blockchain technology for the boat’s digital passport. By collecting and analysing data, it becomes possible to gain a more accurate understanding of system conditions, identify potential anomalies and anticipate maintenance interventions, reducing downtime and improving operational efficiency.
The evolution therefore concerns not only propulsion and energy management, but also the relationship between the boat, its systems and the information generated during navigation. The boat becomes an increasingly connected platform in which propulsion, energy and data are part of the same technological ecosystem, contributing to more informed management of the vessel as a whole.
This transition also helps explain the evolution of AS Labruna itself. With more than 55 years of experience in the marine industry, the company is progressively expanding its scope from propulsion to energy system integration, with increasing attention to electrification, digitalisation and intelligent onboard energy management.
Three Italian universities awarded in Monaco
Italy’s success at the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge was further strengthened by the results achieved by its universities, with three Italian institutions reaching the podium and confirming the value of research carried out in the country in the fields of electrification and marine innovation.
The simultaneous presence of Italian universities and companies was one of the most significant aspects to emerge from the Monaco event. On one side are students and researchers working on new propulsion systems, efficiency solutions and energy management technologies; on the other are industrial companies tasked with transforming research and experimentation into technologies that can genuinely be applied to the market.
It is precisely around the meeting of these two worlds that the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge has built its identity over the years, connecting young engineers and yachting professionals through mentoring programmes, knowledge transfer and career opportunities, with the stated aim of accelerating the decarbonisation of the marine sector.
Monaco confirms AS Labruna’s vision
For AS Labruna, participation in the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge is not an isolated event, but another step in a journey that has seen the company invest decisively in electric propulsion and integrated energy systems in recent years.
Arcistratega is now one of the most tangible expressions of this journey. It is not simply a boat capable of reaching 29 knots, but a technological platform on which batteries, onboard energy generation systems, digital technologies and new solutions for energy and data management can be tested.
The experience in Monaco once again confirmed the speed at which the marine sector is evolving. Batteries continue to advance, alternative fuels are finding new areas of experimentation and artificial intelligence is progressively entering boat management, opening up scenarios that seemed distant only a few years ago.
In this context, AS Labruna has taken a clear position, aiming not simply to follow the transition but to help shape it through the integration of industrial experience, research and technological development. Following the Monaco experience, Arcistratega is probably the most concrete demonstration of this vision.
