When the theme, ‘Building for the Next Generation’ was decided for the 2019 edition of The Superyacht Forum, it was against a backdrop of an increasingly eco-conscious generation’s demands and expectations of the future. It can be argued that the new definition of ‘luxury’ within this generation is increasingly the desire to be the first to discover something new or the first to explore somewhere unfamiliar to the rest of the world – albeit with a sustainable approach.

Within the superyacht industry, this desire is being answered by the ongoing development of explorer vessels, designed to take owners to unusual destinations, accommodate scientists on board to aid research and discoveries, and with innovative power solutions to reduce the impact the vessel has on its surrounding areas. This current fashion encompasses a vast spectrum of quality, and the term is increasingly taken with a large pinch of salt.

Recently we received the news, “Benetti rediscovers its roots and thinks out of the box with B.YOND, a new generation of expedition,” strengthening the Italian shipyard’s proposition to owners of the future. The 37m project B.YOND is the outcome of a rationalisation of onboard volumes and settings, whereby, “intelligent solutions give as much space as possible for the owner, guests, crew and onboard services, ensuring comfortable, leisurely cruises with reduced environmental impact thanks to the new E-Mode propulsion system,” according to the shipyard.

The new E-Mode propulsion system, developed by Siemens especially for the Azimut|Benetti Group, was created with the aim of providing a hybrid propulsion system that is simple to use and therefore available to a wider market, and reducing levels of consumption during the whole lifecycle of the yacht.

Developed in Italy, but with the input of a tech pioneer, is undoubtedly a coup, and something of a stamp of approval for this system. It allows the vessel to operate in four different configurations: ‘Enhanced Comfort’, for night and coastal cruising with no emissions, ‘Eco Cruise’/hotel mode, for zero-emissions while cruising or at anchor, ‘Extended Range’, an option useful on very long trips to reduce consumption, and ‘Eco Transfer’, for navigation with only one engine driving both shafts to reduce engine hours and improve performance, which also allows a reduction of the engine hours and an improved performance. She will have a range of 5,000 to 10,000nm depending on the navigation mode, and is well prepared for long distances with fuel and water tanks capable of storing 70,000 and 6,000 litres respectively.

During our afternoon session on day three of The Superyacht Forum (18th – 20th November), our workshop, ‘Taking An Important Measure’, will discuss a scientific, superyacht-tailored assessment tool, specifically developed to assess the unique ships that superyachts are, highlighting and assessing their sustainable factors – such as propulsions systems similar to the E-Mode system designed for B.YOND. This session will discuss how owners of the future can be more clearly aware of how eco-conscious their superyacht is, and endeavours to spotlight areas of innovation which are currently driving the superyacht industry forward.

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