Sustainability in yacht design

Superyacht owners and charterers are increasingly interested in how they can experience yachting in a more environmentally conscious way. During a recent conference, Moravia Yachting’s Charter and Sales Broker Alastair Callender discussed how this can be achieved through sustainable yacht design.

Sustainability is integral to the future growth and success of all industries. For the yachting industry, improving sustainability will be contingent on the way that yachts are designed and powered. To explore the topic in more detail and assess the industry’s current trajectory, Quaynote Communications recently hosted The Superyacht Sustainable Design Webinar, during which Alastair was asked to participate as part of a panel of experts

With a background in superyacht design and having won the Condé Nast Traveller Innovation and Design Awards for Sustainable Design, as well as the International Superyacht Society’s ‘Excellence in Innovation’ award, Alastair is well-known for the 58-metre super-green superyacht concept that he developed – Soliloquy – a radical, rigid-wing superyacht powered from wind, solar energy and Hybrid Marine Power (HMP) technology. He is, therefore, in a unique position to speak as an authority on the topic from the perspective of superyacht owners and charter clients.

Speaking as part of a panel of experts, Moravia Yachting’s Charter and Sales Broker Alastair Callender recently participated in The Superyacht Sustainable Design Webinar, hosted by Quaynote, to discuss the future of sustainability in yachting.

As Alastair explains during the webinar, a broad spectrum of clients are increasingly interested in exploring ways to protect the environment. “I’ve been speaking with clients about the subject of sustainability in the yachting sector since 2009 and there’s no one particular demographic asking these important questions,” he comments. “Clients are willing to spend a little bit more to help innovate and push forward solutions and, ultimately, an emission-free solution would be the ideal.”

The Sunreef 43 Eco catamaran is a fully autonomous sailing superyacht that offers emission-free cruising partnered with supreme levels of comfort.

With a clear willingness from clients to pioneer and invest in finding different ways to design, build and operate yachts, it is also up to all stakeholders within the industry to spearhead a holistic approach and help develop innovative solutions to meet this demand. Alastair adds, “It’s everyone’s responsibility within the industry to do their part, and Moravia Yachting and the wider Hill Robinson group are leading the field, being the first company in the yachting sector to offset its global operations in terms of carbon footprint.”

The industry is already starting to see some positive change through interesting design solutions as well, including the use of alternative fuels for propulsion. Lürssen, for example, recently announced the construction of its first superyacht powered by fuel cell technology, with delivery scheduled in 2025. Commissioned by a pioneering and technology-driven client, the fuel cell will flank conventional generators and represents a major step towards an emissions-free superyacht. The technology will allow the owner to spend more than 15 nights at anchor, or cruise for more than 1,000 nautical miles, completely emissions-free.

Watch the webinar
The webinar culminated by asking the panel how the industry can futureproof yacht design. “Everyone is a stakeholder – whether you are in a design, shipyard or advisory role – and we all need to support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, where the goal of protecting the world’s oceans and life below the waterline is particularly pertinent to the yachting industry,” Alastair concludes. “After all, what could be more luxurious than a super-green superyacht?” To watch The Superyacht Sustainable Design Webinar in full, please see here.

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