Benetti shipyard, Livorno

As the largest and most consistent builder of superyachts and production yachts in the 24 to 100-metre spectrum, taking a leadership position is fairly logical and straightforward. Over the past 25 years Azimut|Benetti has been listed as the number one builder in terms of production performance and delivery, therefore when it adopts sustainability tools and strategies for its fleet, we all need to take note, as this is good news.

To put everything into context, with more than 160 units in build and a vast fleet already in operation, if Azimut|Benetti’s customer base and crew are exposed to its sustainability strategy, this will make a significant impact and set a huge example for the other major builder groups in the smaller superyacht categories.

As has always been highlighted, the new-build sector is a great place to start, with innovation and new technologies to drive sustainability, but the existing fleet needs the attention too. If a group like Azimut|Benetti can adopt and implement a fleet strategy as well as a new-build strategy, combined with its new lifecycle strategy with Lusben, its refit division, it’s big news for the market. It’s the sort of leadership position that in today’s world makes more of an impact than how many projects are in build.

A recent announcement stated that Azimut|Benetti will work with the Superyacht Eco Association in Monaco to adopt its SEA Index®­­ CO2 emissions tool, to be deployed by its R&D Team as an eco-design aid to improve the sustainability of its fleet.

“We are thrilled to partner with SEA Index to reinforce our commitment to sustainable yacht design by validating our yachts' emission targets through SEA Index’s rigorous framework,” states Alessandro Rossi, chief technical officer Azimut|Benetti Group. “Achieved through advanced naval architecture and cutting-edge technologies, these targets reflect our dedication to innovation and environmental responsibility. Furthermore, we believe this collaboration will encourage greater transparency in data sharing, fostering a more conscious approach among industry players and yacht owners alike.”

The SEA Index® tool is a logical and simple emissions-rating tool to ensure that owners, managers and captains can assess the energy intensity and efficiency of their yachts, primarily for existing yachts, but also the new-build sector.

This follows the builder’s adoption in 2023 of the Carbon Emission Index for yachts under 24 metres, developed by Lloyd’s Register for Azimut|Benetti, to rate and measure the carbon footprint of the sub-24-metre category, obviously the largest part of the yachting fleet.

Finally, it is important to reinforce that Azimut|Benetti is also playing a key role in the delivery and application of the more scientific and analytical tool from Water Revolution Foundation, the Yacht Environmental Transparency Index (YETI).

“Benetti remains fully committed to the YETI programme and continues to utilise the YETI tool to evaluate the ranking and performance of our larger yachts. [The] index has proven valuable in reflecting the implications of proper use scenarios, making it an essential tool for our assessments,” explains Sebastiano Vida, head of product at Benetti.

This is not only a clear demonstration of Azimut|Benetti’s leadership role in sustainability, but also a smart application of the various tools across the fleet. It reinforces that there should be an eco-assessment tool for the sub-24-metre category, an eco-assessment tool for the 24 to 40-metre category and a more sophisticated analytical and measurement tool for the larger custom fleet, as it’s impossible to put all of these yacht types into the same categories for so many reasons.

When the number one builder in our industry takes this position, we can expect a wave of adoption and alignment across the various shipyards and management companies, as the next step is to start to collate and analyse the various data sets and outputs from the tools. As discussed at The Superyacht Forum in Amsterdam, once we start to measure across the whole market, we really can set accurate and real targets for the reduction of our industry’s impact.

Profile links

Azimut Benetti

Lusben

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