After a sneak preview on Day Two of The Superyacht Forum, The first version of the highly-anticipated Yacht Environmental Transparency Index was launched at METSTRADE and shared with key industry members. The tool, which scores and compares yachts based on their environmental credentials, emphasises the operational efficiency of a yacht’s lifecycle and tackles ecological impact by benchmarking vessels against an average operational profile.

After following the development of the tool since its inception, this was the chance to see the results and present YETI to a wider audience of industry leaders, as well as speak with the designers and builders who had helped create YETI through their collaboration and sharing of data. With the sustainability of the industry the most prominent discussion point this year, the lunch of YETI marked a tangible step forward. 

WRF executive chairman Robert van Tol and Naval Architect Hanna Dąbrowska

The launch unveiled the details of YETI 1.0 and its focus on the most impactful part of a yacht’s lifecycle - its operational phase. By expressing the calculated emissions in EcoPoints and dividing such points by the yacht’s gross tonnage, YETI 1.0 determines a relative and comparable score within its class. Following regulations and engineering practices, the defined classes are <500, 500-3000GT, and >3000GT.

Rather than looking at the entire spectrum, this comparison provides a targeted and informed approach to reduce EcoPoints within each size group, define the best in class, and learn from their optimisation.

To use YETI 1.0, data concerning a vessel’s general parameters, speed-power, load determination, generators, battery bank, and heat distribution system must be submitted on the input sheet. When joining the fleet review, yachts are provided with an extensive feedback report that includes a YETI 1.0 score, an explanation of how this score was determined, a comparison to the rest of the assessed fleet within a given class, and suggestions for potential areas of improvement.

By taking a yacht’s unique operational profile as a benchmark, YETI 1.0 provides scores comparing a single vessel to the rest of the fleet rather than applying the generic approach for commercial ships. YETI scores are calculated based on energy use for propulsion, including expected fuel, shore power consumption, and related emissions. Numerous studies have been conducted as part of the project, including the upstream impacts of fuels, engines and generators, and the average footprint of shore power in the most popular yacht marinas.

YETI 1.0 is paving the way toward a sustainable future in the yachting industry. This robust tool will guide members of the sector, from design and yacht management to new build and refit, in reaching a reduced ecological footprint through the development of better concept designs and concrete upgrades of existing yachts. The tool has also already received interest from marinas, insurance companies and banks who are eager to find a reliable reference for understanding yachts’ environmental credentials.

Industry collaboration is essential for reducing the superyacht sector's environmental impact, and YETI is an example of the most renowned shipyards, naval architects, and research institutes joining forces to accelerate sustainable change in a transparent and reliable manner. The group, who represent an unrivalled fleet of superyachts with a shared motivation to understand and improve their ecological implications, have reached a new level of industry collaboration by setting competition aside to collaborate on this initiative.

Companies that can support the group with expertise and data are encouraged to take part in this unique collaboration for the upcoming quest to develop YETI 2.0 and expand the tool’s scope beyond operational efficiency. In joining this project, participants will meet regularly to provide insights for YETI’s future progress. This presents an opportunity for captains, engineers, shipyards, naval architects and management companies to complement the group and be involved in the yachting sector’s journey toward sustainability.

Data transparency was a critical issue at The Superyacht Forum 2022. Chief engineers, for example, have an exhaustive amount of data that is vital to the development of YETI. But how willing are the crew, the owners and the management team to share this data? Knowing that it can be anonymised and safeguarded by a science-driven non-profit foundation on a strong mission.

Sustainability legislation and regulations carry with them implications of restriction of operations. And, while YETI has been designed specifically to keep the industry ahead of these regulations, encouraging more of the industry to contribute is a vital step forward. 

You can now submit data for your yacht(s) in order to calculate its YETI score, which will come with a detailed feedback report providing a comparison with the rest of the fleet. “The groundwork has been done, it is now time for the industry and owners to utilise this reliable reference to know where a yacht stands and what opportunities there are to improve its environmental credentials,” said Robert van Tol, executive director of Water Revolution.

Workshops will also be organised for members of the industry to attend a live YETI score calculation in order to better understand the required input, assessment process, and outcomes generated as a single score. This session will reveal how choices are rewarded and showcase how YETI is here to help instead of judge. YETI is far from a black box - the ‘T’ stands for transparency, as only then can we as an industry learn and show progress. 

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