Quiet-Oceans, a leading French company specializing in studying the impact of noise on marine life, advised by Société Générale’s M&A teams, has joined CLS, a subsidiary of the French Space Agency (CNES) and CNP, an international group specializing in satellite-based environmental monitoring. This acquisition marks a crucial step in CLS’ commitment to protecting marine biodiversity and reducing ocean noise pollution.
CLS, the provider of the Argos system, has been involved in studying and protecting wildlife for nearly 40 years. The company has enabled the satellite tracking of more than 400,000 animals. It actively fights marine pollution, combats illegal fishing, and supports governments in creating and monitoring marine protected areas.
With this acquisition, CLS becomes a unique player in the field of wildlife and ocean conservation.
Objective: Reducing Marine Species’ Direct Exposure to Noise
Quiet-Oceans’ mission is to enable sustainable use of the oceans while maintaining a balance between human activities at sea and marine biodiversity.
The delicate balance between economic needs and environmental preservation largely depends on humanity’s ability to understand the consequences of its activities at sea on marine biodiversity and adapt its actions to minimize their impact, particularly acoustic impact. The challenges of ocean noise pollution are now well understood within the maritime community and are increasingly regulated by lawmakers.
As a French leader in passive acoustics, prediction, monitoring, and mitigation of underwater noise, Quiet-Oceans provides cutting-edge risk assessment tools and management capabilities to help the offshore industry secure its projects.
Its experts offer pragmatic and tailored methodologies, as well as integrated tools suited to the risk level at each stage of a project’s lifecycle. With a portfolio of international clients, Quiet-Oceans is recognized worldwide. They are regularly consulted by governments in many countries and actively participate in noise regulation efforts, collaborating with the European Commission, the Pelagos Agreement Secretariat in the Mediterranean, and the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea.
A Collaboration for a Sustainable Future
Quiet-Oceans’ solutions are already applied in various contexts, including offshore wind farms in France, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Taiwan, where noise modeling and reduction are central to resilience strategies.
By acquiring Quiet-Oceans, CLS strengthens its impact assessment and noise mitigation capabilities, adopting both a science and sustainability-based approach. This complements its solutions for a sustainable planet and biodiversity.
Christophe Vassal, President of the CLS Group
“The integration of Quiet-Oceans into CLS is a major step forward in our commitment to protecting the oceans. For over 30 years, CLS has been developing cutting-edge technologies to monitor marine ecosystems. By joining forces with Quiet-Oceans, we are enhancing our ability to reduce the acoustic impact of human activities at sea, a key challenge for species preservation.”
“This acquisition will expand our international offering by providing innovative and comprehensive solutions to our clients. The synergies between our teams will allow us to address current environmental challenges effectively and responsibly. Together, we are building a sustainable future for the oceans, balancing economy and ecology while staying true to our values of innovation and progress.”
Thomas Folegot, Founder of Quiet-Oceans
“I am extremely proud that Quiet-Oceans is joining an internationally renowned group like CLS. Collaborating with their network of 33 sites worldwide will allow us to promote our solutions and technologies, which we have developed and refined over the years, on a global scale.”
“CLS’ mission to protect our planet through cutting-edge technologies for a sustainable future deeply resonates with our own commitment. The synergies between our two companies are promising and will enable us to significantly contribute to preserving marine ecosystems with an ambitious and virtuous approach.”
Stephan Vannoote, Director, SG M&A
“SG’s M&A teams are very proud to have advised Quiet-Oceans’ shareholders on this strategic partnership. The competitive process we led was fascinating, requiring multiple skills in a scientific and marine environment.”
“The quality of Quiet-Oceans’ teams, their constant innovations, and their applications for managing and minimizing the impact of human activities on the marine environment attracted numerous French and international players. Aligning Quiet-Oceans with CLS seemed obvious, given the close scientific DNAs of the two organizations and the exciting synergies ahead.”
CLS on a Path of Economic Growth
The CLS Group has achieved steady growth and strategic international expansion. Since its founding in 1986 as a subsidiary of the National Center for Space Studies (CNES), CLS has continuously innovated in space-based solutions to monitor and protect the planet. With headquarters in Toulouse and now 34 sites worldwide (including Quiet-Oceans), CLS employs nearly 1,000 people dedicated to sustainable resource management.
In 2023, CLS achieved €180 million in revenue, with forecasts close to €200 million for 2024. This steady growth underscores the company’s strong strategy and ability to thrive in the global market. This acquisition marks the group’s 17th since it began external growth initiatives in 2008.
More about Quiet-Oceans
Quiet-Oceans was founded in 2010 out of a desire to bring together multidisciplinary expertise under a unique company vision: finding sustainable solutions for ocean use.
With its 25 employees, the company specializes in the emerging issue of underwater noise. Its expertise encompasses underwater noise prediction, risk assessment, and consulting services to reduce the impact of noise on biodiversity. This expertise is based on its innovative proprietary technology, Quonops©, a system for ocean noise monitoring, mapping, and forecasting.
Quiet-Oceans assists industries in conducting environmental impact studies for maritime projects in the fields of renewable marine energy (offshore wind farms, tidal energy, ocean thermal energy, etc.), offshore construction, port development, coastal development, seismic surveys, and maritime traffic.
The company also conducts research aimed at ensuring ecological sound levels in European waters, in compliance with the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and its application in national legislation of Member States.
Its broad range of clients and partners provides it with a global and objective perspective on the issue of underwater noise.
Their services include:
- Ambient noise forecasting through mapping
- Risk assessment of industrial projects’ noise impacts on marine biodiversity
- Impact studies and evaluation of mitigation solutions
- Definition of protocols
- Real-time passive acoustic monitoring
- Real-time noise assessment
- Real-time alerts
- Quantification of risks to marine life
- Biological risk mitigation
- Decision-making support
These solutions have already been successfully implemented in projects such as offshore wind farms, tidal energy projects, floating wind farms, ocean thermal energy projects, and offshore construction projects in France, overseas territories, Europe, Africa, Asia, the Indian Ocean, and the Caribbean.
