As the call for a more environmentally responsible yachting sector grows, sustainable design and innovation will be essential in reducing its environmental footprint. In a significant milestone, Sanlorenzo’s Almax 50Steel was recently certified by SEA Index and Lloyd’s Register, receiving a three-star rating. Notably, the Almax 50Steel is the first superyacht equipped with a green methanol-powered fuel cell to achieve SEA Index certification. With its efficient hull, propulsion system, and advanced Reformer Fuel Cell technology, the 50Steel represents a new wave of eco- conscious design in an industry traditionally dominated by fossil fuels.
In this interview, Chris Craddock, Performance, Design and Environment Manager at Lloyd’s Register, shares insights on the yacht’s rating, the importance of third-party certification in driving transparency and accountability, and the unique opportunities available to the yachting sector in adopting sustainable practices. The conversation also delves into emerging technologies that could shape the future of yachting, paving the way for a cleaner and more responsible future on the water.
- Lloyd’s Register recently certified Sanlorenzo’s Almax 50Steel in accordance with SEA Index’s trusted benchmark. What factors influenced the yacht’s rating?
We were very excited to certify the first SEA Index rating for a superyacht equipped with a fuel cell, the Sanlorenzo 50Steel. The SEA Index is designed to recognise all design elements of a superyacht that result in lower CO2 emissions. One of the factors that influenced the rating was the ratio of the total energy available from the methanol to be used by the fuel cell, to the energy available from the MDO bunker tanks. The index accounts for the fact that the benefit of low carbon technologies is based on the relative energy contribution over the yacht’s operating profile. She is also equipped with batteries to ensure that the fuel cell and conventional engines operate at their optimum operating points which is also included in the assessment, as well as a main engine power take-off (PTO) to provide electrical energy efficiently to support the fuel cell. Her efficient hull and propulsion system design also contributes to a good rating since the propulsion power required to meet the owners operating speeds is at a good standard.
- The Almax 50Steel features an innovative Reformer Fuel Cell system designed to reduce carbon emissions. Is this indicative of a growing need for sustainable on-board technologies throughout the yachting sector?
It is extremely encouraging to see that sustainable energy systems are starting to make their way into the design specifications of the yachting sector. Conventional internal combustion engines that burn unsustainable fossil fuels are ubiquitous across the yachting sector and are a barrier to reducing carbon emissions. To overcome this barrier, the yachting sector needs energy supply solutions that make use of sustainable fuels, technologies that capture the free energy in the environment (e.g. solar and wind) and energy consumers that are efficient as possible and make use of clean energy. Fortunately, the same solutions are being developed and adopted across the wider maritime sector, so our challenge is to work with the suppliers of these solutions and the yards to encourage the widescale adaptation and adoption to the yachting sector.
- We’re delighted Lloyd’s Register verifies the SEA Index CO2 certification process – In your opinion, how important is independent, third-party verification when it comes to environmental performance?
Independent verification of environmental performance provides assurance to all stakeholders that the performance is assessed fairly and consistently using an evaluation process that is robust and fit for purpose, in this case the SEA Index. The independent verifier should have no vested interest in the asset or the outcomes of the performance evaluation, so all assessments are treated equally. They also need to be experts in all the options available that impact environmental performance and the index being evaluated. Lloyd’s Register are very proud to have been selected by the Superyacht Eco Association to lead the verification and certification process.
We acknowledge the trust that SEA has put in LR to meet all the requirements of the verifier which is essential to the wide scale adoption of the SEA Index.
- What advantages does the yachting sector have compared to the wider maritime industry in relation to sustainability?
The decarbonisation strategies and regulations from the IMO and the EU do not currently apply to the yachting sector, so there are no mandatory requirements to improve sustainability. The onus of moving the industry towards a sustainable future lies with the stakeholders of the sector; typically, the owners, the yards that design and build the yachts, and the equipment suppliers. Fortunately, there are a growing number of conscientious owners who recognise the need to decarbonise the industry and see this situation as an opportunity to lead the sector in partnership with innovative yards that are willing to adopt new technologies and approaches to yacht design. These leaders are being recognised and rewarded by organisations such as the SEA Index which serve to raise the awareness of sustainable initiatives in the industry and drive change. It is a great example of a sector that has recognised the responsibility for the decarbonisation challenge rests with the stakeholders of the sector and has embraced the freedom that this situation allows to set its own targets and performance indicators that are specific and relevant to the sector.
- SEA Index is continually evolving to incorporate new emissions reduction technologies, like 50Steel’s Reformer Fuel Cell system. In your view, what’s on the horizon for eco-conscious yacht owners and what technologies, existing or future, can offer the most GHG reductions?
Fuel cells are certainly going to play their part in GHG reduction by offering efficient pathways of generating electrical energy from sustainable fuels. But before we even talk about technologies, it is important to recognise that innovative yacht designers who have the goal of minimising GHG emissions start by focusing on making their designs as efficient as possible with the lowest possible hull resistance and lowest on-board energy demand to meet the owners design brief. They employ lightweight construction materials, innovative hull shapes, and thermally efficient construction materials to minimise the fuel that needs to be consumed to provide the energy required to operate the yacht. They then focus on engine and power systems that can supply the required energy with the lowest level of GHG emissions possible, such as fuel cells and conventional engines that use sustainable fuels (e.g. green biofuels, methanol and hydrogen).
We are seeing a growing demand for wind assisted ship propulsion technologies in the merchant marine sector, such as Flettner rotors, suction sails and rigid wings/foils. I wouldn’t be surprised if we start to see these technologies, particularly the stowable variants, appear in the yachting sector as they mature.
Battery installations are also on the rise, not just for peak load shaving (where batteries are used by conventional engines and fuel cells to stabilise the loads and allow them to operate at their most efficient point), but to supply power directly to consumers for extended periods of operating time. This trend is driven by battery costs coming down due to mass use, battery energy densities going up, safe operating practices maturing, and yacht designs becoming more efficient thereby lowering the capacity of the batteries required onboard.
