Published on January 13, 2026
FÉTIS Group announces that its technology and decarbonization activities for professional marine applications will now join the Kinell brand.
After launching Kinell in May 2025 for the off-highway and special vehicle markets and integrating the Group’s R&D teams in November 2025, the Group now brings its professional marine activity into the Kinell offering. This reflects the Group’s strategy to consolidate all its decarbonization activities under a single strong international brand across off-highway machines, special vehicles, the professional marine sector, site energy and digital services.
Marine Heritage
The FETIS Group has its headquarters on the banks of the Loire in Nantes, a city synonymous with marine engineering and innovation. The group has supported the marine industry in France and internationally for more than 30 years. In the last 10 years, group filial SECO MARINE has successfully executed an increasing number of decarbonisation projects through electrification and hydrogen propulsion and onboard power. These systems integration projects have been on both new vessels and retrofits. This proven capability will now, under the Kinell name, be a focus for growth.
The continued acceleration of Marine decarbonization in France
There is intense interest in alternative, low carbon power for vessels in France. Coastal communities and the marine industry recognize, and are motivated by, the dangers of increasingly severe maritime weather, as well as being highly sensitive to the potential for of pollution on the environment that is integral to their lives and work. They also see a future potential for abundant renewable coastal power. It is also becoming clear that the noise and fumes of traditional engines, severely compromising the experience of travel by boat in our rivers, estuaries and coastal waters, can now be viably replaced by cleaner, quieter, less polluting systems.
“By bringing our marine systems integrations activities into the Kinell brand into the marine sector we see great opportunities for technology transfer between the land based and water based activities. Additionally, in some projects we envisage a whole ecosystem approach to decarbonization with port equipment or energy storage enabling and reinforcing the decarbonization of vessels. At the same time, we know it is critical to have an experienced and dedicated team who really understand the regulatory environment and needs of the actors in the marine value chain. This kind of expertise means that the customer can be confident in our ability to execute projects successfully, on time and on budget”
Damien Fétis, President of FETIS Group.
A wide and recognized range of expertise: from electrification to hybridization
Kinell draws on a wealth of expertise in the maritime sector covering the entire on-board energy chain:
- ship electrification,
- motorization and propulsion,
- safety (particularly in relation to hydrogen and new energy carriers),
- programming/software (control-command, energy management),
- hydrogen (H₂) integration: tanks, fuel cells, piping, control software, etc.,
- hybridization with combustion engines (customized generators, hybrid solutions, etc.).
A wide range of stakeholders: from shipowners to public authorities
Kinell’s stakeholders in the maritime sector include:
- fleet managers and shipowners,
- shipyards and integrators,
- public organizations (transport authorities, military actors, local authorities, etc.),
- regulatory bodies and maritime affairs organizations.
In a context of rapidly changing standards, these players are increasingly turning to Kinell for advice on ‘how to do it’: how to define an energy architecture, choose and integrate the right technologies, secure projects and structure the energy transition of their fleets.
“Shipowners, shipyards and public authorities are no longer just looking for components, they are looking for a partner capable of taking charge of the entire energy chain on board. At Kinell , we are perfectly positioned as one of the few integrators capable of covering all these areas from electrification to hydrogen and supporting our customers in France and Europe over the long term.”
David Bartoletti – General Manager – Kinell for the Marine Sector
Key markets: transport, fishing, maritime and port works
The main markets addressed are:
- freight transport,
- passenger transport,
- fishing,
- maritime and port works, and more broadly, works in the maritime environment.
From comprehensive studies to technological building blocks
Kinell stands out for its modular offering, ranging from complete systems to the supply of targeted technological building blocks, depending on the customer’s needs:
From energy architecture to comprehensive ship studies
Kinell supports projects from the initial planning stages through to operational implementation:
- design of carbon-free propulsion systems (electric, hybrid, hydrogen),
- comprehensive studies for the creation of new ships or the retrofitting of existing ships,
- definition of the overall energy architecture, integrating mission, regulatory, safety and operational constraints.
Targeted technological building blocks that can be integrated as required
When requirements are more specific, Kinell also provides dedicated technological building blocks that can be integrated into new or existing projects:
- control and command,
- on-board energy management,
- hydrogen storage and distribution systems,
- energy storage solutions
- safety solutions (fire, explosion, etc.),
- hybridization with customized combustion engines and generators.
- Power solutions
“Our strength lies in our ability to speak the language of both engineers and operators. We design complete energy architectures, develop our own energy management software and integrate the best technologies available on the market. Kinell for the marine industry has the ability to bring all these elements together to deliver carbon-free propulsion systems that are truly adapted to the constraints of the field.”
David Bartoletti – General Manager – Kinell for the Marine Industry
A wide range of technologies to meet field constraints
Thanks to a very broad technical portfolio (batteries of different technologies, electric motors of varying power ratings, air or liquid cooling systems, etc.), Kinell selects the most suitable components for each project from a panel of suppliers and then assembles them into a tailor-made solution. Each architecture is defined taking into account the constraints of the mission, maintenance, budget and operation of the vessels
A strengthened ambition in France and Europe
The marine sector, a strategic pillar for Kinell in the years to come.
By integrating the marine business into Kinell, FÉTIS Group confirms the central place of maritime decarbonizations in its strategy. Kinell is laying the foundations for enhanced development in France and Europe, serving a more sober, efficient and sustainable professional marine sector
About Kinell
Kinell is the FÉTIS Group brand dedicated to decarbonizations, electrification, automation and software development for off-highway machinery, specialized vehicles, professional and recreational marine applications, and energy production.
Structured around several specialized activities (Mobility, Engineering and soon Marine), Kinell offers comprehensive solutions and technological building blocks. Kinell supports OEMs in the design, integration and development of high-performance, reliable machines in their energy transition. Its offering covers the entire innovation cycle: design of low-carbon propulsion systems, development of embedded software, connected services, etc.
About FÉTIS Group
FÉTIS Group is a privately owned international engineering group focusing on the industries of heavy mobility, marine and on-site power. From it’s base in Nantes, France, it has growth to over 700 employees in 9 countries.
Press contact
Béatrice Nguyen
bnguyen@fetis.group
+33 (0)6 99 62 60 28
