Lloyd's Register has awarded Sanlorenzo approval for its methanol fuel cell system and type-C containment tank. Sanlorenzo will install the system on its new 50Steel (pictured) yacht making it one of the first methanol fuel cell systems to be installed on a yacht built in Italy. Feadship also received a second Approval-in-Principle (AiP) by Lloyd’s on its compact multi-fuel system design. 

“Through the relentless work of our R&D department, we continue to take steps in introducing technological systems aimed at reducing the environmental impact of yachts,” says Massimo Perotti, Executive Chairman and CEO, Sanlorenzo. “We are proud to receive this approval from Lloyd’s Register, as we work together to pioneer decarbonisation pathways for the yachting industry.”

The systems will supply power to the onboard hotel systems by extracting methanol from hydrogen fuel stored onboard and was made in collaboration with Siemens Energy.

Lloyd’s presented the approval certificate to the Italian shipbuilder at the Monaco Yacht Show last week.  According to Paolo Izzo, Italy, Monaco and Malta Sales & Marketing Manager, Lloyd’s Register, the approval validates the system's compliance with internationally recognised environmental standards.

“Working with Sanlorenzo on this innovative project affirms Lloyd’s role as a trusted advisor to our clients and demonstrates our support for first movers developing solutions to reduce carbon emissions in the yachting sector,” says Izzo. “We are delighted to award Sanlorezno this approval, confirming their methanol fuel cell system meets the required safety standards.”

Pictured above: Izzo (right) awards the approval to Perotti (left) at the Monaco Yacht Show.

The approval of Feadship's multi-fuel system design is the result of a lengthy research and development phase with industry cooperation and signals the starting point for several Feadship new-build projects currently under development.

“For Feadship, this is a significant step that continues on the path that we have chartered out,” says Mattes Kruize, Director of Projects, Feadship. “To confirm the safe and also viable design principles that fit the use and design of a superyacht de-risks the projects that we are starting.”

Kruize says that the main challenge of the project was to identify all aspects associated with the containment and handling of low-flashpoint fuels and to engineer a fuel system that is compact, resilient for various fuels and safe.

The system design is engineered under the notion that the next generation of yachts has to be flexible to adapt to the changes in shipping fuel production and the supply chain.

Feadship’s multi-fuel design will be capable of using new fuels while maintaining compatibility with current (non-)fossil fuels to maximise its global operations opportunities and range. While it can use methanol as a fuel, it also has the potential to significantly improve energy conversion efficiencies and completely omit the emission of pollutants.

“This system has the potential to revolutionize the yacht industry by offering a sustainable and clean alternative to traditional fuels,” says Engel-Jan de Boer, Global Yacht Director, Lloyd’s Register. “Our AiP provides confidence to yacht owners and operators that the system meets the necessary safety and performance requirements.”

Pictured below: Kruize (left) receives the ApI from Lloyd’s Engel-Jan de Boer (right).

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