PRESS RELEASE

The global leader in ground support equipment takes advantage of 2025, “Year of the Sea”, to
announce its support for Fabrice Amedeo and his Ocean Calling project. The skipper-journalist and
his new partner will be present together at the start of prestigious sailing races, such as the
2026 Route du Rhum, the 2025 and 2027 Transat Café l’Or, and the 2028 Vendée Globe, with the
ambition to sail in the service of Science and contribute to ocean preservation.

For Alvest, this involves extending its “Leaner & Greener” (more efficient and more ecological) approach to the oceans
by supporting the navigator in his environmental mission through the next Vendée Globe. The
ambition is to bring together airport innovation and sailing around a common objective: to preserve
our planet against pollution and better understand our oceans.

Paris, September 22, 2025 – In this year declared “Year of the Sea” by the French State, the ALVEST
Group, global leader in ground support equipment (GSE) and pioneer of “Leaner & Greener” solutions
for the airport industry, announces its four-year partnership with skipper Fabrice Amedeo and his
“Ocean Calling” project. This strategic collaboration aligns with ALVEST’s ESG commitment and its
vision of a “Zero Emission” world, whether for airports, ground operations, or oceans.

This alliance assumes particular significance in a context where ocean science becomes increasingly
crucial for understanding the impacts of climate change. Fabrice Amedeo’s boat, an “opportunity
vessel” for the scientific community, travels routes where scientific vessels do not go.

It sails with a CO2, salinity and temperature sensor that provides data useful for better understanding the
consequences of global warming on oceans, a microplastic sensor that studies anthropogenic
pollution, and finally an environmental DNA sensor that allows Fabrice Amedeo to conduct an
inventory of marine life on the routes he takes during races with his sailboat. Several eminent
scientific institutions are partners in this project: Ifremer, University of Bordeaux, Geomar and
Max Planck Institute in Germany, Cawthron Institute in New Zealand. This strong commitment from
Fabrice Amedeo creates a natural bridge with ALVEST’s approach, which bases its innovations on
rigorous measurement of environmental impact.

Two worlds, one environmental vision
ALVEST, which equips more than 2,000 airports worldwide, has revolutionized its industry by
developing clean solutions (electric, hybrid, etc.) that now represent nearly 60% of its sales.
With innovations like the TaxiBot®, which enables aircraft ground taxiing without using their
engines (called Engine-OFF), or its APU-OFF solutions that avoid the use of aircraft auxiliary
turbines (APU) on the ground, ALVEST enabled its customers to avoid more than 328,000 tons of CO₂
in 2024.

The “Ocean Calling” project shares this same philosophy of innovation in service of the
environment. Fabrice Amedeo uses sailing as a laboratory for innovations to preserve our oceans,
just as ALVEST transforms airport operations to make them cleaner and more efficient.

Technological innovation and measurable impact
Another striking parallel between the two projects: ALVEST has set the goal of stopping production
of internal combustion engine equipment by the end of 2025 and aims for a 52% reduction in its
Scope 3 emissions intensity by 2030, aligned with the Paris Agreement. This decarbonization
approach echoes Fabrice Amedeo’s ambition to sail without relying on fossil energy: the French
navigator has completed the last Vendée Globe, a single-handed, non-stop, non-assisted round-the-
world sailing race that takes place every four years, charging his batteries only through natural
elements (solar panels and hydro-generators).

Towards the 2028 Vendée Globe: a laboratory of innovations
This four-year partnership will support Fabrice Amedeo through and during the 2028 Vendée Globe,
transforming each sailing race into an opportunity to test innovative solutions and raise public
awareness of environmental issues. Like airports that are progressively becoming “zero emission”
thanks to ALVEST solutions, the FDJ United boat will become an ambassador for clean oceans and
sustainable sailing.

This alliance perfectly illustrates ALVEST’s vision: to be “a major contributor to the
transformation of airports and aviation towards safer, Leaner and Greener® operations worldwide,” a
mission that today finds its natural extension in ocean protection.

Valentin Schmitt, President and CEO of ALVEST: “Our commitment to Fabrice Amedeo naturally fits into
our company DNA. For nearly three decades, we have been developing and promoting solutions and
technologies that enable our customers to massively reduce aircraft emissions on the ground.
With Ocean Calling, we extend this decarbonization mission to the oceans, these vital ecosystems
that, like airports, require innovative solutions to preserve our planet.”

Yves Crespel, Director of Communications at ALVEST: “We are not just funding a project, we are
engaging in a common mission. Our desire to concretely participate in emission reduction and our
engineering rigor can bring concrete added value to the Ocean Calling project, creating
unprecedented synergies between airport innovation and marine preservation. This collaboration fits
perfectly into this Year of the Sea, reminding us that environmental challenges require a cross-
sectoral and collaborative approach.”

Fabrice Amedeo: “I am delighted to bring ALVEST aboard this sporting and human adventure. I was
impressed and convinced by their ability to transform a traditionally polluting industry into an
actor of climate change. Their ‘Leaner & Greener’ philosophy resonates perfectly with Ocean
Calling: in both cases, we prove that innovation rhymes with environmental preservation. Whether
it’s reducing aircraft ground emissions or protecting marine biodiversity, we share the same
urgency to act.”

About Fabrice Amedeo
French navigator aged 47, Fabrice Amedeo has been participating in the Vendée Globe since 2016
with a unique approach combining sporting performance and scientific research. Graduate in
Philosophy and from IEP Paris, he has transformed his IMOCA into a floating laboratory, collecting
oceanographic data for research organizations. Committed to ocean preservation, he raises public
awareness of marine environmental issues. His Ocean Calling project aims to make sailing a vector
of innovation and marine biodiversity protection, with the goal of the 2028 Vendée Globe.

About Ocean Calling
Ocean Calling is the environmental project of skipper Fabrice Amedeo, aimed at raising awareness
of ocean preservation issues through competitive sailing. Structured around five pillars – scientific
research, technological innovation, awareness-raising, training and concrete action – the project
transforms each race into a mission for the oceans, with the goal of the 2028 Vendée Globe.

Web: www.oceancalling.com
ALVEST Press Contact:
Yves Crespel: yves.crespel@alvest.fr / +33 6 46 82 59 53
Fabrice Amedeo/Ocean Calling Press Contact:
Constance Marle cmarle.presse@gmail.com / +33 6 89 89 27 70

International GSE Expo is the Premier Event Dedicated to the Advancement of the Ground Support Equipment Industry.

Alvest Group Companies will be exhibiting in force to offer an impressive range of Ground Support Equipment (GSE) and related aviation services and parts.

Join the team in Las Vegas on 16th-18th September…

#AlvestGroupFamily #LeanerAndGreener #InternationalGSEExpo

TLD is pleased to be exhibiting at the Airport Show, Dubai alongside sister Alvest Group Companies Smart Airport Systems & Sage Parts.

The Airport Show serves as a vital entry point to the thriving Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (MEASA) aviation market.

It provides unmatched opportunities for growth within the GSE sector and is a perfect fit for the unsurpassed range of airside equipment, green technologies and services offered by the Alvest family.

As part of our commitment to society, our people and the environment, Alvest completed at the end of 2024 a thorough assessment of its business sustainability practices through EcoVadis.

This assessment includes 21 sustainability criteria across four core themes: Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics and Sustainable Procurement.

In our latest rating we earned a Silver medal with a score of 71/100, which places Alvest in the top 9% globally.

Last week the Alvest Equipment Service (AES) Hong Kong maintenance facility, operated by CTAS Aviation Services Limited, had its official opening! This 9,200 sqm workshop at Airport Authority Hong Kong is designed to ensure Ground Support Equipment’s (GSE) maintenance, rental, and pooling services.

Over 1,900 motorized and 10,000 non-motorized units are already serviced by 120 skilled professionals, ensuring smooth and efficient ground operations.

Exciting times lay ahead as AES continue to support their customers with high-quality GSE services in Asia!

Sage Parts, an Alvest Group Company, has a new location at Hong Kong International Airport, strengthening their commitment to providing industry-leading GSE parts and support across Asia-Pacific. Same exceptional service, now in a strategic new location to keep your operations running.

Alvest Group Company, TLD, helped create this innovative autonomous GSE in conjunction with TractEasy and continues to celebrate it’s international contribution to aviation…and the environment.

“In the latest episode of The GSE Podcast, recorded at the TractEasy GSP Demo event, we bring together a powerhouse panel of industry experts to explore the future of autonomous GSE.

This conversation is packed with actionable insights, from safety innovations and operational efficiency to weather challenges and regulatory hurdles.”

You can listen to the complete podcast here – Listen Now: https://lnkd.in/eswttx_G

Check out the dedicated TractEasy website here – https://tracteasy.com/