SY Interviews: Naval Architects & The Drive for Green Yachting
\n \tThe second article in our series on naval architecture brings us inevitably to the topic of sustainability. Whether due to higher levels of information and education, or public personas and a shifting demographic of owners, the superyacht industry is becoming increasingly conscious of its environmental footprint. We examine how the architects behind the operation, fuelling and power generation of the world\u2019s ocean giants play an integral role in this discussion, the complexities around this, and what the future looks like for \u2018green yachting\u2019.
\n Part 2 of our 4-part series features Thys Nikkels (CEO & Naval Architect, Dykstra Naval Architects), Matteo Magherini (Business Development & Naval Architect, Lateral Naval Architects) and Johan Siefer (Naval Architect, Judel \/ Vrolijk & Co.).\u00a0
\nThe importance of being green is undeniably taking an increasingly large space in the discussion of yacht design. Have you seen that reflected in the jobs you have been commissioned for?
\nAt Dykstra Naval Architects, Thys Nikkels reports a noticeable shift towards \u2018greener\u2019 yachting over the last ten years. \u2018In 2008 we launched Rainbow Warrior III for Greenpeace, with a philosophy of going motor sailing and reducing fuel consumption,\u2019 he tells us. \u2018It was their first new build vessel – we performed a full life cycle analysis of the boat and found that actually over 35 years of a vessel\u2019s lifetime, the burning of fossil fuel was by far the most harmful environmental impact and not the build. So you\u2019re actually better off building a new vessel which performs much better with fuel than buying second-hand and refitting for that purpose.\u2019\u00a0
\nAn interesting observation, not least because of the abundance of sustainable choices available to those seeking to build a new \u2018green\u2019 yacht. For an example of the developmental nature of these options, take Lateral Naval Architect\u2019s E-Hybrid system. \u2018Effectively you have batteries to run the propulsion power, and a small diesel generator to recharge the battery – a diesel electric in reverse,\u2019 Matteo Magherini tells us. The advantage of this system is that the vessel is effectively \u2018future proof\u2019; the batteries can be replaced as technology around it improves, until a diesel generator is no longer needed. \u2018It\u2019s a stepping stone to hydrogen and other technologies that will follow.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0
\nOf course there are challenges in converting client interest in sustainability to green yacht projects. Johan Siefer of Judel \/ Vrolijk & Co., a naval architecture and design firm specialising in high-performance sailing yachts, tells us that although discussions around sustainability are now held in the very early stages of a project, the \u2018risk factor\u2019 is the largest obstacle to conversion. \u2018Superyachts far from shore have to be absolutely reliable. Right now some promising green solutions and new techniques need more time and testing – we need to work to reduce the risk factor.\u2019
\nCan you tell us about the ways in which your design and architecture has catered to a more sustainable yacht?\u00a0
\nJohan\u2019s concerns regarding the risk factor are certainly valid. \u2018Rate of development is also an issue,\u2019 Matteo adds. With the average project taking around 4-5 years, it is difficult for owners to decide how much they wish to invest in sustainable platforms when their newly delivered yacht will be fitted with technology developed almost a decade earlier. This aside, there is a dizzying array of options available to owners to build, or indeed already on the water, marking huge strides in the field of sustainability.\u00a0
\nThe team at Dykstra has invested heavily in hybrid solutions since 2008, Thys tells us, notably by using propellors to generate power onboard. The best example of this is the 106m sailing yacht Black Pearl, which effectively achieves zero fuel consumption by virtue of two propellors rotating while sailing at 12 knots of windspeed. \u2018We are able to generate enough power – up to 450kW – allowing us to completely shut off the generators. So all the hotel load comes from the power generated by the propellors.\u2019
\nThys goes on, \u2018We\u2019re now looking into a vessel where we don\u2019t carry diesel fuel anymore, we only have storage or electric power onboard and we generate all of the power onboard ourselves with sailing or solar power.\u2019\u00a0
\nProving sustainability is not an exclusive privilege relegated to the realm of sailing yachts, Matteo and the team at Lateral earned a name for themselves with the revolutionary AQUA concept presented at the 2019 Monaco Yacht Show. As part of the BMT Group, Lateral looked at advancements in the shipping industry to develop a feasible motor platform powered by liquified hydrogen to achieve the ultimate goal of zero emissions.\u00a0
\n\u2018The full bunkering capacity of AQUA is 26 tonnes of liquified hydrogen. As current global production is at 28 tonnes, the product needs a client who is visionary enough to invest in the provisioning and develop a network of distribution him or herself,\u2019 Matteo tells us. \u2018We have started studies and discussions into making this possible.\u2019
\nThe centrality of the owner underpins the extent to which a yacht can be made sustainable then. Great things can be achieved when a willing owner invests in a green sailing yacht, and a visionary owner is needed to progress Lateral\u2019s revolutionary technology for AQUA into the next stages. \u2018We must do the right boat for the client,\u2019 Johan affirms. \u2018There\u2019s size, efficiency of the hulls – there are a lot of areas of influence to make the project better.\u2019\u00a0
\nWhat do you think is the biggest thing that needs to change for the industry to become more environmentally conscious and where does this change need to come from?
\nWhile there is certainly a distinction to be drawn between motor and sail yachting (\u2018More sail yachts, less motor yachts!\u2019 is the solution proposed by Thys), there are significant areas of influence for change on a more general level.\u00a0
\nTo expand upon these areas of influence, Matteo points to a \u2018pool of consultants\u2019 around the owners of large superyacht projects (80m+) who have \u2018the power to steer the project in one direction or another\u2019.\u00a0
\nThis is where the risk factor comes into play; owners\u2019 representatives and shipyards will seek to push an agenda of the lowest risk. Developing new technology is one task of the naval architect in promoting green yachting, but educating the necessary players is a fundamental next step. \u2018I see ourselves as missionaries,\u2019 Matteo tells us. \u2018On a mission to spread the word and push new ideas, encouraging other people to join the conversation too.\u2019\u00a0
\nThere are some people that say yachting (or motor yachting) is inherently contradictory to \u2018being green\u2019. What would you say to this?
\nAt Dykstra and Judel \/ Vrolijk & Co., a specialism in sailing yachts has developed from the passion of sailing shared by the founders. But as Thys tells us, an interesting concept for a motor yacht will always be considered.\u00a0
\nTo illustrate this, Dykstra developed Project ICE, a superyacht which uses a kite for fuel saving – another idea borrowed from the commercial shipping industry. \u2018It\u2019s something you can actually retro-fit on a motor yacht, too,\u2019 Thys points out.\u00a0
\nUltimately though, a truly \u2018green\u2019 yacht using the technology currently available must be powered by wind. \u2018The market of sailing yachts is quite complex. You need more time, more knowledge and more skills to get onboard and enjoy a sailing yacht,\u2019 says Matteo.\u00a0
\nThis is a common conception, but one that the team at Dykstra have been fighting hard against with the proliferation of the Dynarig. Bringing Wilhelm Pr\u00f6l\u00df\u2019s rig to the notorious masts of the Maltese Falcon and Black Pearl, the core concept at the heart of the Dynarig is its ease of use.
\n\u2018Sometimes as an industry we are building sailing yachts that are so complicated – for aesthetics, comfort, performance – it doesn\u2019t mean the boat is inherently greener than a motor yacht. If it is too complicated to go sailing with the ship, then the crew will choose to go motoring instead, or to save wear and tear on the rig. So as designers we have to give the crew the right ship for the task,\u2019 says Thys.
\nJohan adds, \u2018It comes down to an understanding of our culture and how much comfort and complexity you want.\u2019
\nWhere do you see the industry going in regards to being green\u00a0in the next 5 years?
\nThe main areas of improvement, our interviewees agreed, lie in furthering the conversation around green yachting. \u2018The yachting industry is small compared to industry leaders, so we have to connect and may also have to wait for the heavy industry to develop the products that we can implement,\u2019 comments Johan.\u00a0
\nRather than any miraculous practical solutions, education and dialogue will be at the forefront of industry efforts in the next five years. Matteo reaffirmed the naval architect\u2019s commitment to education, be it in the areas of hydrogen, electrification of yachts, or indeed simply suggesting a sailing yacht to an owner who would normally opt for motor.\u00a0
\nThys adds, \u2018I hope we have more clients pushing for green options, and an industry that is open to investigate and promote that.\u2019
\nBut the solution isn\u2019t entirely talking shop. In addition to furthering the dialogue into necessary action, there are practical areas of improvement which include capacities and regulation. Matteo suggests that we may be seeing rechargeable capacities in more and more marinas around the world, to cater for a predicted increase in electric yachts. Meanwhile, the IMO regulations on commercial shipping could be extended to cover yachting too.\u00a0
\nThe role of naval architects in pushing the sustainable agenda is a complex and critical one. Limited by resources, clients, technology and a host of other priorities, naval architecture has nonetheless managed to break huge ground in theory and practice to curb the carbon footprint of the world\u2019s superyacht fleet. Technological advancements in the years ahead will be crucial to the progression of this, and the continued receptibility of owners amongst other players in translating the research of naval architects into real and tangible change.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\t AQUA aerial view. Lateral Naval Architects <\/p>\n
\t AQUA bow. Lateral Naval Architects <\/p>\n
\t AQUA exterior. Lateral Naval Architects <\/p>\n
\t AQUA exterior. Lateral Naval Architects <\/p>\n
\t ESQUEL propulsion. Lateral Naval Architects <\/p>\n
\t Bravo Eugenia. Lateral Naval Architects <\/p>\n
\t ESQUEL exterior. Lateral Naval Architects <\/p>\n
\t INCEPTION. Lateral Naval Architects <\/p>\n
\t INCEPTION. Lateral Naval Architects <\/p>\n
\t Sea Eagle II. Dykstra Naval Architects <\/p>\n
\t Black Pearl. Dykstra Naval Architects <\/p>\n
\t Rainbow Warrior III. Dykstra Naval Architects <\/p>\n
\t Maltese Falcon. Dykstra Naval Architects <\/p>\n
\t Black Pearl. Dykstra Naval Architects <\/p>\n
\t B146. Judel \/ Vrolijk & Co. <\/p>\n
\t Pink Gin. Judel \/ Vrolijk & Co. <\/p>\n
\t Hamilton. Judel \/ Vrolijk & Co. <\/p>\n
\t Thys Nikkels, CEO Dykstra Naval Architects <\/p>\n
\t Matteo Magherini, Business Development Lateral Naval Architects <\/p>\n
\t Johan Siefer, Naval Architect Judel \/ Vrolijk & Co. <\/p>\n
\t Pink Gin. Judel \/ Vrolijk & Co. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SY Interviews: Naval Architects & The Drive for Green Yachting The second article in our series on naval architecture brings us inevitably to the topic of sustainability. Whether due to higher levels of information and education, or public personas and … <\/p>\n