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7 Eco-Conscious Yachts That Are Changing the Future of Boating, From Zero-Carbon Catamarans to Hybrids

Pure-electric trawlers and hydrogen-powered sailing vessels sound like sci fi, but they'll be on the water soon..

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Yachting and sustainability may sound like a paradox, but we’re steadily seeing the marine world embrace eco-change. For the yachting world, there are an increasing number of ways to boat with a lower carbon imprint. From electric-diesel hybrids to zero-carbon catamarans powered by alternative fuel sources, here is a closer look at the newest eco-conscious yachts on the water—as well as several concepts that will be on the market in the next year, and a sailing vessel that helped start the emissions-reduction trend among superyachts.

Azimut Seadeck

Having the world’s largest yacht builder embrace sustainability promises to exert pressure on hundreds of smaller builders around the world. When the three-model Azimut Seadeck  series is launched, the combination of complementary emissions-reducing technologies promises to be a major milestone for yachting.

“This is the most efficient yacht ever designed by Azimut,” said Federico Lantero, head of Product Design at Azimut/Benetti, at an event announcing the series. “We’ve identified the most recent technologies over the years, so we sat together said let’s raise the bar once again. Let’s push these technologies to the limits. It’s been like assembling a big puzzle.”

The Italian shipyard promises above-average efficiency at a wide range of speeds: The official estimates predict an emission reduction of 40 percent, thanks to Seadeck’s diesel-electric hybrid systems, lightweight carbon-fiber superstructure, solar panels, and other energy-absorption solutions.

Monaco-based designer Alberto Mancini, who penned the exterior, teamed up with other Italian designers Matteo Thun and Antonio Rodriguez, who completed the sleek interior design. Thun and Rodriquez infused the interior with the newest sustainable materials, including cork, which they describe as the “best alternative to teak.”

The concept of Seadeck’s large open aft section—dubbed “Fun Island,” follows the success of the extended deck of sister builder’s Benetti Oasis. That design was a game-changer in its wellness-outdoor living approach. Azimut will release the Seadeck models in the next 20 months, starting with the Seadeck 6 in early 2024.

Alva Yachts Ocean Eco 90 H2

In the past couple of years, German catamaran and sailboat builder Alva Yachts has turned heads with its innovative solar catamarans.  But now it’s pushing boundaries farther with the announcement of what it’s calling “the first zero-emissions superyacht catamaran to run without fossil fuels.”

The Ocean Eco 90 H2 is a special 90-foot version of the Ocean Eco 90 series, the shipyard’s flagship model. It comes in two versions: full electric and hybrid diesel-electric. The new model is the company’s first venture into hydrogen. Dubbed a “fuel-less superyacht catamaran with wings,” the H2 was requested by an existing Alva owner. It is powered only by sustainable sources, including the sun, wind, electric energy, and hydrogen fuel cells. The company’s signature solar cells generate up to 40kWp of power while twin performance electric motors give power, with the aid of the Ayro Oceanwings wind-propulsion system.

Oceanco ‘Black Pearl’

The world’s biggest sailing superyacht— Black Pearl —is also the most sustainable boat on water. Energy is saved at every turn on board the 350-foot yacht, from the HVAC system to three carbon-fiber masts, striking black DynaRig sails and aluminum superstructure that combine to make the Oceanco yacht lightweight and efficient. Controllable pitch propellers feed power back into the yacht via a pair of shaft generators providing enough power to support the yacht’s hotel load. Equipped with battery banks and a waste-heat recovery system, the gigayacht is capable of sailing across the Atlantic using only renewable energy.

Sunreef 80 Eco Marie-Joseph

Formula One champion Fernando Alonso so enjoyed his Greek charter aboard the Sunreef 80 Eco Marie-Joseph last summer that he now has a Sunreef 60 Eco in build. Equipped with electric engines, Marie-Joseph is fitted with nearly 1,800 square feet of solar panels integrated into the yacht’s composite structures, including the mast, boom, superstructure and hull sides. It’s enough to generate up to 45.5kWh, which leaves the deck areas free for guest enjoyment. In addition to the yacht’s “solar skin,” the vessel also has a hydro-generation system, which recovers energy from the propellers as well as high-efficiency batteries.

Steeler 61S Electric

Designed by Vripack and built by Steeler, the 61-foot Steeler 61S Electric is a full custom electric trawler built for a liveaboard owner. Sustainable materials, such as steel, wood, leather and Flexiteek decking, give a nod to the owner’s determination to have a lighter carbon footprint—though the biggest sustainability breakthrough lies with the boat’s propulsion and slow-boating efficiency. Though equipped to run a 75kW diesel generator, the Steeler 61S Electric is also equipped with a 90kW electric motor and can run on shore power. In true Dutch style, solar panels and windmills mounted on the roof help feed the 184kWh battery pack.

Newcastle Marine ‘Safira’

When it comes to sustainability, every little bit helps. Powered by azipod drives, which provide 20 percent more efficiency than conventional shafts, the 129-foot Safira can also run on 15-percent biodiesel. The boat is fitted with LED lighting and good insulation, which allows for smaller generators and reduced fuel consumption. Environmental considerations extend to the choice of materials as well, with reclaimed oak, remnant stone and Esthec—a synthetic replacement for teak—being used for both cabinetry and exterior decks.

Rossinavi ‘No Stress’

Italian designer Enrico Gobbi’s latest project comes in the form of Rossinavi’s first hybrid yacht. Delivered earlier this month, the 169-foot, full-aluminum sports yacht, No Stress , is powered by two MTU 16V diesel engines and two electric motors. In electric mode, the dual power system is managed by an artificial intelligence (AI) system that monitors fuel consumption. No Stress forms part of the Italian shipyard’s aim to develop boats with BluE technology. In addition to more environmentally-friendly cruising, the inclusion of AI means the owners “can enjoy the electric experience on board to the fullest,” said Rossinavi’s COO Federico Rossi, in a statement.

The Italian yard recently launched another hybrid-electric “BluE” concept called Infinity , a sailing yacht with an exterior by Fulvio de Simoni. The 138-footer has solar panels that can be stored so that yacht can navigate in full-electric mode for 90 percent of an average day. De Simoni also penned Rossinavi’s Sea Cat hybrid cat, which is currently under construction.

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Superyachts aim to go green — but at what cost?

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Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

It is hard to think of a more visible manifestation of great wealth and excessive consumption than a superyacht, as Russian oligarchs have discovered to their cost, following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February.

As western governments began detaining these very obvious luxury assets at harbours and shipyards around the world in successive rounds of economic sanctions aimed at Moscow, the targeted billionaires directed crews to steer the vessels to safe havens such as the Maldives in the Indian Ocean or Turkey in the Mediterranean. Roman Abramovich’s 163-metre Eclipse, one of the world’s largest superyachts and estimated to cost more than $1bn, found refuge in the Turkish port of Marmaris.

Long before the latest Ukraine war, however, the superyacht industry faced a problem unrelated to any support the ships’ wealthy owners may have provided to warmongering authoritarian regimes: their impact on the environment and the impression they gave that the rich could not care less about climate change.

Most superyachts — typically defined as a leisure vessel more than 30 metres or 100ft in length — are essentially motor vessels like small cruise liners, catering to proprietors or charterers and a few pampered guests. The biggest have helicopter pads, swimming pools and gyms as well as luxury suites. Some even have mini-submarines.

Very few are sailing yachts, and most of them consume vast quantities of diesel. Only now are manufacturers starting to develop new technologies such as hydrogen-powered electric propulsion that will cut emissions.

In the meantime, building the boats, operating them and, eventually, scrapping them all have a damaging effect on the environment. The same is true of aircraft and cars, but the very visibility of superyachts in tourist hotspots, makes their ecological footprint an increasingly sensitive topic. The global fleet has grown more than sixfold since 1985 to reach more than 5,200, according to Superyacht Times . And the fleet cruises the world’s vulnerable oceans.

“For sure, now it’s really high up the agenda — there’s been a fundamental shift,” says Monaco-based superyacht designer Espen Oeino, who reckons it is only in the past few years that most proprietors have really started to pay attention to yacht emissions. Clients ask him what can be done to reduce energy consumption onboard, both for propulsion and for the so-called “hotel load” of air-conditioning and other services, and even how to build the boat in the first place in a responsible way.

Rob Doyle, another naval architect who designs superyachts and is based in Kinsale in Ireland, agrees that more owners are beginning to take notice of the need to reduce carbon emissions and protect the environment, though many are still concerned about the cost. “There is still a huge amount of greenwashing,” he says. “You look at the magazines and you’ll never see a bad superyacht.”

And bad they often are. Research by anthropologists Beatriz Barros and Richard Wilk of Indiana University into the carbon footprints of the super-rich found that yachts contributed an outsized share of the carbon emissions of the billionaires who own them — far more than their private jets or mansions.

For former Chelsea Football Club owner Abramovich, for example, of the 31,200 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent he is calculated to have emitted in 2018, no less than 22,400 tonnes came from his yachts. Yacht emissions for Bernard Arnault, owner of LVMH and France’s richest man, accounted for nearly 9,000 tonnes of his total of 10,400 tonnes.

There are other ways for the wealthy to be embarrassed by their superyachts. Dutch shipyard Oceanco is facing resistance from angry locals after asking the city of Rotterdam to temporarily dismantle the old Koningshaven Bridge so that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s new three-masted vessel — this one is a sailing yacht costing hundreds of millions of dollars — can reach the port and the open sea.

But the impact on the climate is still the environmental whale in the room for yacht owners, builders and designers: Bill Gates and Elon Musk are both big carbon emitters, but their 2018 numbers were much lower than those of their fellow billionaires because they did not have yachts, the Barros-Wilk paper showed.

The accelerating effort to green superyachts reflects similar moves in the aircraft and vehicle industries to adopt new technologies and systems that help to reduce or eliminate carbon emissions and other pollution.

For superyacht designers and builders, the process starts with the shape of the hull or hulls, because there are few things so wasteful of energy as pushing a heavy metal or composite vessel through a fluid as dense as water. For both Oeino and Doyle, this search for what Oeino calls the “geometry of an easily driven hull” means looking at multihulls (catamarans or trimarans) for the next generation of big yachts, because they are designed to skim along the surface of the sea rather than laboriously plough through it, even if there are obvious constraints on weight and what you can do with the interior space.

Next, propulsion. There are already diesel-electric boats in service, which use diesel generators running at optimum revolutions (more economical, less polluting) to power electric motors, and, in future, the idea is to run the electric motors with the output from hydrogen fuel cells.

Then there is the electricity needed for the yacht’s hotel load, principally air-conditioning and the making of fresh water from seawater, but also lights and other electrical systems. Solar panels can produce some power but rarely enough even to run a present-day superyacht at anchor, so to charge batteries and run the boat, some other form of carbon-free electricity generation is needed to replace the diesel generators widely in use today.

For Barros and Wilk, none of this can justify owning any kind of superyacht. They write: “While many billionaires have taken pro-environmental actions in their personal lives or their corporate connections or donate money to climate change organisations and purchase carbon offsets, none of these actions actually ‘cancels out’ their total emissions. A 90-metre yacht can be touted as energy efficient or environmentally friendly but, as critics of ‘eco-chic’ point out, it is still a huge waste of resources, a frivolous luxury in a warming world.”

But the industry is trying. Doyle’s answer, developed by his own firm and Van Geest Design, is Domus (“home” in Latin), a project for a 40-metre sailing trimaran described as “the first truly zero-emission yacht” over 750 gross tonnes, which would generate electricity to charge its batteries from solar panels, hydrogen fuel cells and its own propellers acting as dynamos when the boat is sailing.

“It came out of a conversation we had with a client,” says Doyle. “We proposed this project with fuel cells, and regenerative sailing. It’s silent . . . people just want to listen to the water and the wind coming across and not have the hum of generators or the whiff of diesel.”

People just want to listen to the water and the wind coming across and not have the hum of generators or the whiff of diesel Rob Doyle, yacht designer

Hydrogen propulsion is in its infancy for mass transport. The gas is difficult to store, though it can be made from methanol, and there is, as yet, no distribution network for the fuel. But the interest in hydrogen is just one sign of how the yacht industry is hunting for ways to lower emissions in the years ahead as the pressure from regulators — and public opinion — increases.

Oeino notes that in some places, including the World Heritage Site fjords such as Geirangerfjord in his native Norway, rules limiting emissions are already in place and becoming stricter, and will help to force the pace of the greening of ships and yachts.

The first systems for big yachts to be fully powered by renewables are likely to be the tenders, the smaller boats that ferry people to and from the shore, which are already starting to shift to electric propulsion, and the equipment that contributes to the hotel load when the ship is stationary. Hotel loads can, in any case, be reduced by sensible design and operation, given that indoor superyacht spaces are heavily air-conditioned all the time despite owners and guests spending a huge amount of their time outside, on deck.

Transocean travel with zero emissions is a much bigger ask, says Oeino. “A lot of stuff is already being implemented, but the full electric big yacht with zero emissions is still not a reality,” he explains, because it is impossible to store or produce enough energy onboard.

“It will be a combination of things that will bring us all to lower emissions and eventually zero emissions.” 

‘Yachts for science’ can be a breakthrough for explorers

For yacht owners who feel guilty not only about their environmental footprint but also about how little they use their expensive boats, Rosie O’Donnell has the perfect solution: Yachts for Science .

YFS, which its co-ordinator O’Donnell describes as “a dating agency, almost like a Tinder for the sea”, is a platform to match idle yachts and their crews with scientists in search of a vessel that can reach remote areas and allow them to research everything from coral reefs and manta rays to great white sharks. In some cases, the owners and their families like to be on board for the ride.

“It’s for people who want to be a bit philanthropic so they have got something more to talk about than sitting on the back of their boat in St Tropez drinking cocktails,” says O’Donnell. “It’s about making the ownership more worthwhile.”

The idea of YFS fits with the trend among yachtowners to commission robust so-called expedition or explorer yachts that can travel long distances, to the Antarctic for example, rather than being satisfied with something that will buzz at high speeds around the resorts of the Mediterranean or the Caribbean.

“The yachting industry is always looking for ways to reinvent itself,” says Dominic Byrne of Arksen Marine , a builder that backs YFS and is building a new range of high-tech motor yachts. “People are looking to go further afield, and they are looking to do it in an eco-friendly way as much as possible.”

This article is part of FT Wealth , a section providing in-depth coverage of philanthropy, entrepreneurs, family offices, as well as alternative and impact investment

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Guest Essay

The Superyachts of Billionaires Are Starting to Look a Lot Like Theft

By Joe Fassler

Mr. Fassler is a journalist covering food and environmental issues.

If you’re a billionaire with a palatial boat, there’s only one thing to do in mid-May: Chart your course for Istanbul and join your fellow elites for an Oscars-style ceremony honoring the builders, designers and owners of the world’s most luxurious vessels, many of them over 200 feet long.

The nominations for the World Superyacht Awards were all delivered in 2022, and the largest contenders are essentially floating sea mansions, complete with amenities like glass elevators, glass-sided pools, Turkish baths and all-teak decks. The 223-foot Nebula, owned by the WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum, comes with an air-conditioned helicopter hangar.

I hate to be a wet blanket, but the ceremony in Istanbul is disgraceful. Owning or operating a superyacht is probably the most harmful thing an individual can do to the climate. If we’re serious about avoiding climate chaos, we need to tax, or at the very least shame, these resource-hoarding behemoths out of existence. In fact, taking on the carbon aristocracy, and their most emissions-intensive modes of travel and leisure, may be the best chance we have to improve our collective climate morale and increase our appetite for personal sacrifice, from individual behavior changes to sweeping policy mandates.

On an individual basis, the superrich pollute far more than the rest of us, and travel is one of the biggest parts of that footprint. Take, for instance, Rising Sun, the 454-foot, 82-room megaship owned by the DreamWorks co-founder David Geffen. According to a 2021 analysis in the journal Sustainability, the diesel fuel powering Mr. Geffen’s boating habit spews an estimated 16,320 tons of carbon-dioxide-equivalent gases into the atmosphere annually, almost 800 times what the average American generates in a year.

And that’s just a single ship. Worldwide, more than 5,500 private vessels clock in about 100 feet or longer, the size at which a yacht becomes a superyacht . This fleet pollutes as much as entire nations: The 300 biggest boats alone emit 315,000 tons of carbon dioxide each year, based on their likely usage — about as much as Burundi’s more than 10 million inhabitants. Indeed, a 200-foot vessel burns 132 gallons of diesel fuel an hour standing still and can guzzle 2,200 gallons just to travel 100 nautical miles.

Then there are the private jets, which make up a much higher overall contribution to climate change. Private aviation added 37 million tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere in 2016, which rivals the annual emissions of Hong Kong or Ireland. (Private plane use has surged since then, so today’s number is likely higher.)

You’re probably thinking: But isn’t that a drop in the bucket compared with the thousands of coal plants around the world spewing carbon? It’s a common sentiment; last year, Christophe Béchu, France’s minister of the environment, dismissed calls to regulate yachts and chartered flights as “ le buzz ” — flashy, populist solutions that get people amped up but ultimately only fiddle at the margins of climate change.

But this misses a much more important point. Research in economics and psychology suggests humans are willing to behave altruistically — but only when they believe everyone is being asked to contribute. People “stop cooperating when they see that some are not doing their part,” the cognitive scientists Nicolas Baumard and Coralie Chevallier wrote last year in Le Monde.

In that sense, superpolluting yachts and jets don’t just worsen climate change; they lessen the chance that we will work together to fix it. Why bother when the luxury goods mogul Bernard Arnault is cruising around on the Symphony, a $150 million, 333-foot superyacht?

“If some people are allowed to emit 10 times as much carbon for their comfort,” Mr. Baumard and Ms. Chevallier asked, “then why restrict your meat consumption, turn down your thermostat or limit your purchases of new products?”

Whether we’re talking about voluntary changes (insulating our attics and taking public transit) or mandated ones (tolerating a wind farm on the horizon or saying goodbye to a lush lawn), the climate fight hinges, to some extent, on our willingness to participate. When the ultrarich are given a free pass, we lose faith in the value of that sacrifice.

Taxes aimed at superyachts and private jets would take some of the sting out of these conversations, helping to improve everybody’s climate morale, a term coined by the Georgetown Law professor Brian Galle. But making these overgrown toys a bit more costly isn’t likely to change the behavior of the billionaires who buy them. Instead, we can impose new social costs through good, old-fashioned shaming.

Last June, @CelebJets — a Twitter account that tracked the flights of well-known figures using public data, then calculated their carbon emissions for all to see — revealed that the influencer Kylie Jenner took a 17-minute flight between two regional airports in California. One Twitter user wrote , “kylie jenner is out here taking 3 minute flights with her private jet, but I’m the one who has to use paper straws.”

As media outlets around the world covered the backlash, other celebrities like Drake and Taylor Swift scrambled to defend their heavy reliance on private plane travel. (Twitter suspended the @CelebJets account in December after Elon Musk, a frequent target of jet-tracking accounts, acquired the platform.)

There’s a lesson here: Hugely disproportionate per capita emissions get people angry. And they should. When billionaires squander our shared supply of resources on ridiculous boats or cushy chartered flights, it shortens the span of time available for the rest of us before the effects of warming become truly devastating. In this light, superyachts and private planes start to look less like extravagance and more like theft.

Change can happen — and quickly. French officials are exploring curbing private plane travel. And just last week — after sustained pressure from activists — Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam announced it would ban private jets as a climate-saving measure.

Even in the United States, carbon shaming can have outsize impact. Richard Aboulafia, who’s been an aviation industry consultant and analyst for 35 years, says that cleaner, greener aviation, from all-electric city hoppers to a new class of sustainable fuels, is already on the horizon for short flights. Private aviation’s high-net-worth customers just need more incentive to adopt these new technologies. Ultimately, he says, it’s only our vigilance and pressure that will speed these changes along.

There’s a similar opportunity with superyachts. Just look at Koru, Jeff Bezos’ newly built 416-foot megaship, a three-masted schooner that can reportedly cross the Atlantic on wind power alone. It’s a start.

Even small victories challenge the standard narrative around climate change. We can say no to the idea of limitless plunder, of unjustifiable overconsumption. We can say no to the billionaires’ toys.

Joe Fassler is a journalist covering food and environmental issues. He is the author of “Light the Dark ” and the forthcoming novel “The Sky Was Ours.”

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

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Yachting Monthly

• Digital edition

The true carbon cost of sailing – and why going electric could be less green than you think

• Theo Stocker
• February 7, 2024

New research reaches some surprising conclusions about which propulsion systems might actually have the lowest carbon footprint. Theo Stocker digs into the numbers

A white sail on a blue sea. What could be cleaner than that?’ Sailing nerds might recognise this quote from the all-time greatest sailing film, Wind . Or maybe that’s just me. Anyway, it’s easy to assume that drifting around with the breeze has little impact on the environment, let alone the global climate. But that assumption may be further from the truth than you think.

Certainly, the marine industry is tiny compared to other emitters of greenhouse gases, but it still registers on the scale. Recreational boats account for less than 0.1% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, specifically 0.7% of transportation carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in the United States and 0.4% of transportation CO₂ emissions in Europe.

Those numbers sound small, but then consider that there are estimated to be 50 million recreational craft globally, with as many as one million new boats being added to that number every year. New research has now been published by the International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA) as they seek to plot a way forwards for the leisure marine industry.

The rather bleak headline is that if you want to move away from fossil fuel propulsion, you could easily generate a larger rather than smaller carbon footprint, whether you’re looking at biofuels, hydrogen, electric or hybrid propulsion systems.

The good news, however, is that the devil is in the detail. Make a few compromises to things like range and performance, conduct an honest appraisal of how you actually use your boat, and utilise new and emerging technologies, and you can reduce your boat’s carbon footprint, whether you’re buying a new boat or not.

John Kerry, with his granddaughter, signing the 2016 Paris Agreement on behalf of the US. Photo: Xinhua / Alamy Stock Photo

Paris climate agreement

The Paris Climate Agreement, a legally binding international treaty that seeks to limit global temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, requires signatories to reduce global carbon emissions by 43% by 2030.

While the marine leisure industry might be a tiny proportion of global emissions, it is still a contributor. Given recent protests against superyachts and the perception of sailing and boating as an elite, luxury pastime, ICOMIA wanted to be able to work with regulators to reach policy decisions based on data rather than emotions, assumptions or ideologies.

Article continues below…

There was, however, a ‘vacuum of data’ and while regulators, companies and customers were all trying to take positive steps environmentally, there was very little cold, hard evidence guiding them, leaving potential for flawed choices and the potential dismissal of the best options for reducing the marine industry’s carbon footprint. To fill this void, they commissioned the most detailed research project ever undertaken on the subject in the marine industry.

The result of the project is the 550-page report Pathways to Propulsion Decarbonisation for the Recreational Marine Industry. So far, the report and its data has been shared with the European Commission Department of Growth, the US Dept of Energy and Governments in the United Kingdom, Spain and Sweden.

Infrastructure for new technologies to be adopted is an essential part of assessing their carbon footprint. Photo: Scharfsinn / Alamy Stock Photo

ICOMIA set out to create a robust and holistic analysis of the full environmental impact of all currently available propulsion technologies for recreational vessels under 24m (80ft).

It was to consider the full-life ‘cradle-to-grave’ impact of building, using and disposing of leisure craft. The report covers first-of-its-kind primary research study from Ricardo, a leading global engineering consulting firm. The resulting data took two years to compile and was subject to thorough peer reviews in an attempt to make this the most robust data possible.

ICOMIA’s aim was not to make a pronouncement on what technologies are green or not, but to provide benchmark data against which governments, boat builders, technology developers and you, the sailing public, can make informed choices.

The study covered nine types of vessel up to 24m, including inflatable tenders with small outboards, runabout day motor cruisers, fishing boats, pontoon boats (a large sector in the US), personal watercraft, sailing yachts, inland waterways craft, large displacement motorboats and performance motor yachts.

Steve Bruce, UK MD for ePropulsion, is sceptical about ICOMIA’s report. Photo: Scharfsinn / Alamy Stock

The study was broken down into six steps: exploring the decarbonisation options; conducting a Greenhouse Gas Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to ISO 14044 and 14067 standards including the manufacture, use phase and end of life for energy converters and energy carriers; assessing the total cost of ownership of each system, including purchase, operation and maintenance; analysing the implications of life expectancy, maintenance, performance, safety and availability of each system; analysing the infrastructure implications, before ranking the suitability for each craft type and usage case.

The report is still pretty broad brush strokes, and there are plenty of caveats to the findings. How and where boats are used, what technology is installed, and the supply chains in each of those products have an impact, and ICOMIA says that it is keen that the data acts as a baseline for people to innovate around and find ways of cutting emissions in every part of a boat’s lifecycle.

Even so, some are sceptical about the report. Steve Bruce, Managing Director (UK) of electric engine manufacturer ePropulsion said, ‘I have to say I am extremely disappointed.

It would appear to me that the report has been written with a bias against electrification and has failed to consider several relevant factors, such as the ability to re-purpose and ultimately recycle batteries.

‘It also seems to be based on facts that do not appear to be in line with what we are being told by boat users in our daily conversations, so I would like to better understand precisely where the report writers have decided to select their data from and why.

‘The small amount of hours they suggest boats are used for does not correlate with the actual use profiles we are being asked to support.’

From a user point of view, electric propulsion has many benefits over combustion engines. Photo:

What the research doesn’t do

The report’s authors were keen to emphasise that they were not aiming to stymie certain solutions, but rather to identify the real-world use cases in which these systems are the best to choose, and to highlight where more development and investment is required.

They also noted that the research focuses on propulsion systems, while there are a whole host of other areas in which a pleasure vessel could reduce its carbon footprint, from building materials and manufacturing processes to supply chains, shipping, and disposal. Similarly, how a vessel is used will have a big impact.

ICOMIA CEO Joe Lynch explained, ‘This isn’t to tell people what to do but to help them make the best decision for their use case and allow industry to find solutions, by providing a set of data. It is a point in time study for most popular types of vessel currently in use. We hope to expand this out to more use cases and more emerging technologies, such as foiling, in due course, and aim to turn the work into a more usable life cycle analysis tool as a basis for solid decision making to help decarbonise the marine industry.’

The research did not interrogate the use of recycled goods, for example repurposed pre-used car batteries, or the re-engining of existing yachts, and nor did it pit one type of vessel against another.

It also didn’t give weight to local considerations, such as the need to reduce pollution or noise in ecologically sensitive environments, or increased user enjoyment or a reduction of maintenance.

‘This is a decarbonisation report rather than a usability report,’ said Lynch. ‘There are many other reasons to choose electric-based criteria such as noise, smell, cost, maintenance and so on,’ acknowledging the focus is very much on the global carbon emissions of a vessel’s lifecycle.

Electric cars have a very different set of parameters, meaning they are more able to offset the additional carbon emitted in their manufacture. Photo: Kenny Williamson / Alamy Stock Photo

Cars vs Boats

One of the big assumptions the report seeks to interrogate is that because electric cars, or ‘battery electric vehicles’ (BEV), are thought to be the most environmentally friendly solution for land-based transport, the same will apply on the water. The problem is that there are vast differences between cars and boats, according to the data.

For a start, propelling a boat over a set distance takes roughly 10 times more energy than it takes to move a car. Then you’ve got the fact that most cars are used much more regularly and for longer periods than cruising boats.

This means that of a car’s total lifetime carbon footprint, less than 20% of it is in its manufacture, with almost 80% in its usage – energy supply, exhaust emissions and maintenance – and a bit in its end-of-life disposal. For a boat, the research shows that while some yachts are heavily used, many lie idle for great chunks of time, and they arrived at an average annual usage of a sailing boat’s engine of just 24 hours a year, based on data from engine manufacturer service records and data from the US Environmental Protection Agency.

For the various kinds of motorboats, this increases to between 35 to 48 hours a year. Only a commercially operated rental jet ski had an average use case of over 100 hours a year.

Proportionately, as much as 50% of a boat’s lifetime emissions come from its manufacture, 10% from scrappage and 40% from its usage (and even less when it comes to sailing boats). This gives you a much shorter lever with which to balance out carbon already emitted with a reduction of carbon in usage.

Small dinghies are now frequently powered by electric motors. Photo: Benjamin Sellier

Supply chain carbon

The research analysed the carbon contribution, or global warming potential (GWP), of each stage in the supply chain and lifecycle of each propulsion system, for each of the vessels being considered.

It assumed a like-for-like comparison of energy storage and range, rather than the ‘optimised’ systems referred to later. While these vessels would not be usable in the real world, it made it possible to compare the carbon footprint of equivalent processes within the supply chain.

In the figures given, an inflatable dinghy using an electric outboard can eliminate around 40% of its total GWP from its usage emissions (energy, tank to wake) alone, compared to the petrol-driven baseline. However, this has to offset an almost three-fold increase in its raw materials (propulsion) carbon footprint and a manufacturing footprint that is around two-and-a-half times higher.

Using sustainable marine fuel caused a far bigger increase in the craft’s total footprint, in which the energy well-to-tank actually doubled the craft’s footprint.

For sailing yachts, there is a proportion of the vessels’ total GWP that is attributed to the hull and structure’s raw materials that is several times higher than that of any of the propulsion systems’ raw materials, including electric, though manufacturing impacts are significant.

Mineral extraction and the processes involved are a large part of batteries’ carbon footprint

By far the worst option for a sailing boat was hydrogen, where the well-to-tank impact of the fuel accounted for 40% of the vessel’s total GWP, giving a hydrogen-propelled vessel a carbon footprint twice the size of a fossil fuel-propelled boat.

Both electric and hybrid systems’ GWP were 50% higher than the baseline, with much of this coming from raw materials, manufacture, and surprisingly, maintenance, given electric systems’ almost maintenance-free usage, due to the necessary replacement of the batteries (estimated life span of 12.5 to 15 years).

Even sustainable marine fuel had a higher total impact by about 12% before use-case optimisation, due to a higher energy well-to-tank impact.

Darren Vaux, President of ICOMIA, says, ‘There is a lot of carbon in the supply chain of the batteries, and because there is such low utilisation of hours, it’s very hard to offset. Sailing craft life is long, so the batteries have to be replaced during the course of its life because they don’t have the same longevity.

‘The fascinating thing is that electric motors’ torque profile, lack of noise and all of that are absolutely ideally suited for marine. The challenge is the energy storage, both in terms of the energy density, and also the life of the batteries and the carbon embodied in them from most battery manufacturers.

‘Where manufacturers who operate in a country where they have a high green-energy mix, and a supply chain for manufacture in a factory with a very low carbon footprint, then there’s a competitive advantage to say, “I’ve got a battery that has a very low carbon footprint,” and that will address some of the carbon issue. The energy density of batteries is still significantly lower, but this may be satisfactory in some cases.’

Fitting any kind of alternative propulsion to runabout day boats like this RIB requires a significant compromise.

Realistic comparisons

The five power systems weighed up were all systems that use existing technologies currently available commercially. These were: conventional petrol or diesel internal combustion engines (ICE) as a baseline; sustainable fuels used as drop-in alternatives for fossil fuels in ICEs; hybrid fuel (fossil/sustainable) and electric systems; battery electric drives, and hydrogen ICE or fuel cells.

In order to calculate the life cycle assessment of vessels equipped with the various alternative propulsion systems, it was unrealistic to substitute in systems that provided like-for-like power and range.

As Patrick Hemp, ICOMIA technical consultant explained, ‘We get a lot of questions around the bottom-up approach and why H2 ICE and Battery Electric needed to be optimised. The main reason Ricardo had to do this was because the current baseline speed/range is simply not possible with Hydrogen ICE or Battery Electric (too much weight and volume) and hence, a downsizing was required.’

Fitting any kind of alternative propulsion to runabout day boats like this RIB requires a significant compromise

Runabout motorboat

As an example, a small runaround motorboat may have a typical range of 14 hours and 166 miles. To give the same range in a single duty cycle (one tankful or battery charge) with hydrogen propulsion, fuel storage would need to be around 430% larger than the ICE system and would be 350% heavier, giving the boat a displacement 56% greater.

With electric propulsion, the volume of the batteries for this range would be 360% larger and 820% heavier, with a vessel displacement 133% heavier.

In the calculations, the researchers decided to optimise the power system so that it could still fulfill the way most people use the boat, but with a propulsion system as close to the mass, volume and performance of the existing system as possible.

When aiming to achieve a range of 3 hours and 35 miles for the same small motorboat – a reduction of around 80% – a hydrogen system that was 61% larger and 13% heavier with a displacement increase of just 6% was achievable. For electric power for the same range reduction, the system was 23% larger, while being 81% heavier, with a displacement increase of 16%.

A sailing yacht has a huge fuel-free range if sailed, but most cruisers rely on auxiliary propulsion to keep making progress when conditions don’t suit. Photo: Richard Langdon

Sailing vessel

The calculation for a sailing boat used a baseline of a boat running on diesel, though the HVO fuel figures are identical. With a 21kW / 28hp engine and 70L fuel tank, the boat has a range of 24.5 hours and 147 miles, and there is no increase to mass, volume or displacement for either diesel or HVO.

Change to a hybrid electric drive system running a 21kW / 28hp ICE engine, with a 21kW electric drive. The fuel tank can be reduced slightly to 59L for the same range, but the system volume increases by 69% and would be 137% heavier, increasing the boat’s displacement by 6%.

For an electric or hydrogen system, the systems were specified to a range of 4 hours / 24 miles at an equivalent 6 knots, a reduction in range of around 84%.

The electric system, with a 21kW motor needed a battery capacity of 49kW, which resulted in a system that was actually 18% smaller than the baseline, though it was 61% heavier, and resulted in an additional 3% displacement.

Hybrid Marine specialises in diesel-electric parallel hybrid systems built around new Beta and Yanmar engines

The hydrogen-powered boat, with 21kW engine, had high-pressure fuel tanks to hold 3.7kg of hydrogen. This system was 49% larger than a standard engine and tank, and was 12% heavier, adding just 1% to the boat’s displacement.

Alternative propulsion systems were optimised in this way to enable realistic life cycle assessment comparisons to be made. Looking at the data then, sailors are free to make choices about whether they would be more happy to accept compromises to range, performance, the amount of space on board, and displacement, as well as cost.

Unsurprisingly, the report found alternatives are more expensive than the status quo, albeit within an enormous range. Electric systems as specified in the optimised use cases were 40% to 250% more expensive, 85% to 200% more for hydrogen, 25% to 115% more for hybrid, and 5% to 45% more for using sustainable drop-in marine fuel alternatives.

Large numbers of yachts remained unused or very lightly used, leading to just 24 engine hours a year on average

How much do boats get used?

While ‘battery electric on-road automotive vehicles’ (BEV) reduce CO₂ emissions by between 50% and 70% relative to conventional fossil fuel engines over their lifetime, the initial CO₂ created during the production of an electrical vehicle (EV) can be at least 50% more than a conventional ICE vehicle due to raw materials and the energy intensive process of creating the battery.

This means it takes an electric car 100,000 to 150,000km (62,000 to 93,000 miles) to get the break-even point where it is starting to have a positive impact on carbon emissions, which might take 3-5 years of fairly heavy use.

This also takes into consideration the fact that drivers’ range expectations have, on average, been reduced, so that one battery charge on your car will take you about 60% of the distance your old diesel or petrol car would have done. The cost, size and weight of the batteries would be prohibitive for a like-for-like range, and the environmental cost – mostly attributed to the batteries – would also be even higher.

For boats, those with very high use cases, and where small batteries with limited range can be specified, such as ferries and other commercial vessels, some of the new technologies really do add up in a similar way to cars. But the average leisure cruising yacht (though not, for example, a liveaboard cruiser), has just 24 hours of engine use a year, over its 45-year life span, according to the data.

Diesel engines remain the lowest impact propulsion to manufacture and install, but the emissions from the supply and use of them needs to be reduced

If this seems crazily low, marine surveyor Ben Sutcliffe Davies explained, ‘When I go to survey a vessel, I’m often amazed at how few hours have been put on the engines. It’s rare to find a yacht that’s done much over 50 hours in a year.’

Certainly, many boats will be used far more than the assumptions in this report, but there are also many boats that sit sadly idle, used for a handful of days or hours over the summer. The ‘use case’ of any boat is one of the key deciding factors in what propulsion technology will be the greenest option, and it’s worth remember that this report aims to look at the majority average rather than outliers.

In order to get to the ‘break even’ point on an average GRP cruising yacht, where the new propulsion system’s reduced usage emissions have compensated for its increased manufacturing emissions, you will need to do 60 hours of electric motoring a year (compared to 24 hours average), every year for its 45-year life span.

To get to a point where you have cut your emissions by 50% – the benchmark in the automotive industry – you will need to increase your usage by 600% above the average, or 168 hours of motoring a year on your electric engine. The figures are almost identical for a hybrid system.

Liveaboard and long-term cruisers clearly have a much higher use case, giving them longer to offset carbon with alternative technologies. Photo: Crew Eastern Stream

For a hydrogen system, which has a manufacturing footprint slightly lower than that of battery systems, the break even point comes sooner, with a modest 52% usage increase (36.5 hours), but with a slightly higher carbon footprint in use, a 50% reduction in emissions compared to a diesel engine will take a whopping 192 hours of motoring a year.

Surprising findings

Once the use cases and optimised propulsion systems have been taken into account, for many recreational sailing yachts that match the assumed use case, opting for electric propulsion in a new yacht or converting a used boat to hydrogen, hybrid or electric propulsion will be worse for the environment than sticking with a fossil fuel internal combustion engine (ICE).

For most vessels and average use cases, the best way of reducing environmental impact for the time being is to retain conventional ICE engines, but switch to sustainable synthetic or biofuels such as hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) or e-petrol, the report claimed.

Doing this in a sailing yacht will, over the vessel’s 45-year lifespan with an average annual usage of 24 hours, reduce the vessel’s global warming potential by around 35%, compared to using fossil fuels in an ICE engine. The same benefit applies to both new boats and the numerically more significant existing fleet of boats already in use. Switching to electric or hybrid propulsion may in fact increase the vessel’s global warming potential by over 35%.

If you can find somewhere to buy HVO biofuel, this will be simplest way to immediately cut your carbon

Of the nine vessel types analysed, electrification was only the greenest option for a commercially operated personal water craft used for 156 hours per year over a 12.5 year lifespan. The highest impact of going electric was for a displacement motorboat, used for 48 hours a year over 45 years, where the global warming potential went up by over 80%.

If your vessel, its systems, their manufacture, and your usage don’t match the averages used in this report, then the life-cycle assessment might reach different conclusions, particularly if your usage is higher than average, but it’s worth considering the lifespan emissions when making these decisions.

How we choose to build, propel, and dispose of boats could be limited if their climate impact isn’t addressed

Conclusions

The research concluded that renewable diesel fuel, specifically hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) ICEs can provide the largest global warming potential (GWP) reductions compared to existing ICE propulsion, but only if the fuel is produced using waste feedstocks so that it’s not taking resource away from global food production, and gives the marine industry the greatest chance of decarbonising by as much as 90% by 2035 without compromising a vessel’s range or performance.

That’s all very well, and marinas with existing fuel supply infrastructure should be able to adapt easily, but it would require a huge increase in the supply of HVO in order to facilitate that change, and that capacity just isn’t there at the moment. As the report notes, ‘There is considerable uncertainty over the availability of these fuels through to 2035, and caution must be taken to guarantee that e-fuels are produced using low-carbon electricity sources and biofuels are produced with low GWP feedstocks.’

It also concludes that because electric-only systems ‘may have a higher GHG contribution from raw materials and manufacturing than conventional propulsion systems’, vessels that have low-usage cases are unlikely to ‘yield a reduction in greenhouse gases’ over their lifespans. Boats that are in frequent and prolonged use may be more likely to reach the break-even point, while hydrogen and hybrid systems may, in some cases, be the greenest option.

ICOMIA is now working on making a full life-cycle assessment tool available to the industry so that boats and use cases can be examined on a case by case basis. The report is a snapshot of the LCA for each type of boat, and a series of assumptions made about its usage.

ICOMIA President Darren Vaux, explains, ‘These use cases should cover the majority of the market, but there will be outliers that don’t fit these use cases. We are trying to move the dial on meeting the Paris Agreement for decarbonisation of the marine industry. At the moment, the only thing that will get us there is drop-in HVO fuels.

‘We need to focus policy-makers’ minds,’ Vaux continues. ‘We’re building infrastructure for electric vehicles, but we also need an infrastructure for the supply of sustainable fuels. We also want to challenge innovation, to encourage the industry to use the data-set as a challenge, with a clear focus on what the supply chain carbon impacts are.

‘Our data-set is the majority case, but that leaves room for boat builders to find ways around it, to say, “We’re better than that.”’

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Sustainable luxury: what green means for yachts

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Yachts are boosting their sustainability credentials, limiting their carbon footprint through alternative propulsion, green construction and life cycle management.

The coming sustainability wave is sweeping the luxury boating sector forward, with commercial yacht owners exploring green shipbuilding and operating practices. Yachts start in a strong position, already traveling shorter distances and burning cleaner fuel than trading vessels or passenger ships. Still, there is room for improvement, and yacht owners are looking into both alternative propulsion and green construction solutions. These changes offer multiple advantages, limiting a ship’s carbon footprint and minimizing its emissions, while improving the onboard experience.

Rethinking propulsion and energy sources

Hybrid-electric solutions are a favored solution for improving yacht sustainability. Not only does running on electric power significantly reduce underwater emissions, it eliminates noise from generators, ensuring a quieter ride. This is a major advantage for both onboard passengers and marine life, which can be harmed and disoriented by underwater radiated noise from engines. Hybrid-electric power also improves ship maneuverability, limiting the time and emissions expended when coming into harbors and ports. Other low carbon technologies that have already been integrated onboard yachts include kite sails and solar panels. Kite sails enable yachts to travel using wind power, a carbon-free energy source. This technology can be complemented by a low resistance hull to improve energy efficiency, and supplemented by green propulsion for non-sailing days. Solar panels offer similar advantages when mixed with electric propulsion, providing a yachting experience with limited noise, emissions and maintenance.

Starting green, staying green

Shipyards can also make a big impact on yachts’ green credentials by building ships with organically produced and recycled materials , and through sustainable construction processes. By sourcing wood from sustainably certified forests, and using recycled materials such as aluminum, steel and natural composites, ships can minimize waste and carbon output. Using clean energy onsite to power construction tools can further ensure a green beginning to the yacht life cycle. At the other end of the asset life cycle, yacht owners need to find sustainable ways of dismantling out-of-service vessels. In compliance with the EU Ship Recycling Regulation , yachts over 500 GT, like other vessels, must have an inventory of hazardous materials (IHM) onboard and a ship recycling plan (SRP) established. For yacht owners and shipyards, this means ensuring ships are dismantled in line with regulations and hazardous materials are safely disposed of without damaging the environment.

The future of sustainable yachts

Societal attitudes toward sustainability are evolving rapidly, and yacht charterers expect the best of both worlds: luxury, comfort and green credentials. Meanwhile, the number of emission control areas (ECA) and environmental regulations is increasing, and port requirements for limited emissions are becoming more stringent. All indicators point to a more sustainable future for commercial yachts, and owners have already taken promising first steps towards developing eco-friendly ships. Better still, the path ahead is wide open: yacht owners have numerous options for energy and propulsion, easy access to sustainable materials, and few technical restrictions. With the right expertise from shipyards, green solutions providers, classification societies and more, the luxury yacht business can sail unabated into a cleaner future.

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Private planes, mansions and superyachts: What gives billionaires like Musk and Abramovich such a massive carbon footprint

Distinguished Professor and Provost's Professor of Anthropology; Director of the Open Anthropology Institute, Indiana University

Ph.D. Candidate in Anthropology, Indiana University

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Tesla’s Elon Musk and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos have been vying for the world’s richest person ranking all year after the former’s wealth soared a staggering US$160 billion in 2020, putting him briefly in the top spot .

Musk isn’t alone in seeing a significant increase in wealth during a year of pandemic, recession and death. Altogether, the world’s billionaires saw their wealth surge over $1.9 trillion in 2020, according to Forbes.

Those are astronomical numbers, and it’s hard to get one’s head around them without some context. As anthropologists who study energy and consumer culture, we wanted to examine how all that wealth translated into consumption and the resulting carbon footprint.

Walking in a billionaire’s shoes

We found that billionaires have carbon footprints that can be thousands of times higher than those of average Americans.

The wealthy own yachts, planes and multiple mansions, all of which contribute greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. For example, a superyacht with a permanent crew, helicopter pad, submarines and pools emits about 7,020 tons of CO2 a year, according to our calculations, making it by the far worst asset to own from an environmental standpoint. Transportation and real estate make up the lion’s share of most people’s carbon footprint, so we focused on calculating those categories for each billionaire.

To pick a sample of billionaires, we started with the 2020 Forbes List of 2,095 billionaires. A random or representatives sample of billionaire carbon footprints is impossible because most wealthy people shy away from publicity , so we had to focus on those whose consumption is public knowledge. This excluded most of the superrich in Asia and the Middle East .

We combed 82 databases of public records to document billionaires’ houses, vehicles, aircraft and yachts. After an exhaustive search, we started with 20 well-known billionaires whose possessions we were able to ascertain, while trying to include some diversity in gender and geography. We have submitted our paper for peer review but plan to continue adding to our list.

We then used a wide range of sources, such as the U.S. Energy Information Administration and Carbon Footprint , to estimate the annual CO2 emissions of each house, aircraft, vehicle and yacht. In some cases we had to estimate the size of houses from satellite images or photos and the use of private aircraft and yachts by searching the popular press and drawing on other studies . Our results are based on analyzing typical use of each asset given its size and everything else we could learn.

We did not try to calculate each asset’s “ embodied carbon ” emissions – that is, how much CO2 is burned throughout the supply chain in making the product – or the emissions produced by their family, household employees or entourage. We also didn’t include the emissions of companies of which they own part or all, because that would have added another significant degree of complexity. For example, we didn’t calculate the emissions of Tesla or Amazon when calculating Musk’s or Bezos’ footprints.

In other words, these are all likely conservative estimates of how much they emit.

Your carbon footprint

To get a sense of perspective, let’s start with the carbon footprint of the average person.

Residents of the U.S., including billionaires, emitted about 15 tons of CO2 per person in 2018. The global average footprint is smaller, at just about 5 tons per person.

In contrast, the 20 people in our sample contributed an average of about 8,190 tons of CO2 in 2018. But some produced far more greenhouse gases than others.

The jet-setting billionaire

Roman Abramovich, who made most of his $19 billion fortune trading oil and gas, was the biggest polluter on our list. Outside of Russia, he is probably best known as the headline-grabbing owner of London’s Chelsea Football Club.

Abramovich cruises the Mediterranean in his superyacht, named the Eclipse , which at 162.5 meters bow to stern is the second-biggest in the world, rivaling some cruise ships. And he hops the globe on a custom-designed Boeing 767 , which boasts a 30-seat dining room. He takes shorter trips in his Gulfstream G650 jet, one of his two helicopters or the submarine on his yacht.

He maintains homes in many countries, including a mansion in London’s Kensington Park Gardens, a chateau in Cap D’Antibes in France and a 28-hectare estate in St. Barts that once belonged to David Rockefeller . In 2018, he left the U.K. and settled in Israel , where he became a dual citizen and bought a home in 2020 for $64.5 million.

We estimate that he was responsible for at least 33,859 metric tons of CO2 emissions in 2018 – more than two-thirds from his yacht, which is always ready to use at a moment’s notice year-round.

Massive mansions and private jets

Bill Gates, currently the world’s fourth-richest person with $124 billion, is a “modest” polluter – by billionaire standards – and is typical of those who may not own a giant yacht but make up for it with private jets.

Co-founder of Microsoft, he retired in 2020 to manage the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s largest charity, with an endowment of $50 billion.

In the 1990s, Gates built Xanadu – named after the vast fictional estate in Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane” – at a cost of $127 million in Medina, Washington. The giant home covers 6,131 square meters, with a 23-car garage, a 20-person cinema and 24 bathrooms. He also owns at least five other dwellings in Southern California, the San Juan Islands in Washington state, North Salem, New York, and New York City, as well as a horse farm , four private jets, a seaplane and “a collection” of helicopters .

We estimated his annual footprint at 7,493 metric tons of carbon, mostly from a lot of flying.

The environmentally minded tech CEO

South African-born Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors and SpaceX, has a surprisingly low carbon footprint despite being the world’s second-richest person, with $177 billion – and he seems intent on setting an example for other billionaires .

He doesn’t own a superyacht and says he doesn’t even take vacations .

We calculated a relatively modest carbon footprint for him in 2018, thanks to his eight houses and one private jet. This year, his carbon footprint would be even lower because in 2020 he sold all of his houses and promised to divest the rest of his worldly possessions .

While his personal carbon footprint is still hundreds of times higher than that of an average person, he demonstrates that the superrich still have choices to make and can indeed lower their environmental impact if they so choose.

His estimated footprint from the assets we looked at was 2,084 tons in 2018.

The value of naming and shaming

The aim of our ongoing research is to get people to think about the environmental burden of wealth.

While plenty of research has shown that rich countries and wealthy people produce far more than their share of greenhouse gas emissions, these studies can feel abstract and academic, making it harder to change this behavior.

[ Like what you’ve read? Want more? Sign up for The Conversation’s daily newsletter .]

We believe “shaming” – for lack of a better word – superrich people for their energy-intensive spending habits can have an important impact, revealing them as models of overconsumption that people shouldn’t emulate.

Newspapers, cities and local residents made an impact during the California droughts of 2014 and 2015 by “drought shaming” celebrities and others who were wasting water, seen in their continually green lawns . And the Swedes came up with a new term – “ flygskam ” or flying shame – to raise awareness about the climate impact of air travel.

Climate experts say that to have any hope of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, countries must cut their emissions in half by 2030 and eliminate them by 2050.

Asking average Americans to adopt less carbon-intensive lifestyles to achieve this goal can be galling and ineffective when it would take about 550 of their lifetimes to equal the carbon footprint of the average billionaire on our list.

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Centibillionaire Jeff Bezos’ $500 million Koru superyacht emits an astounding 1,500 times more greenhouse gases than an average person. Inspite of being the largest sailing yacht in the world the 417-feet long vessel will be responsible for more than 7,150 tonnes of CO2 every year.

Even at the time of writing, the humongous sailing yacht is en route on a 4,000 mile journey from Gibraltar to the Americas and has currently gone dark somewhere in West Africa.

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Jeff Bezos’ $500 million Koru superyacht is so big that it took up two docking spaces and dwarfed every other yacht berthed at the Grande Marina in the US Virgin Islands

Not the Qatari royal family or a Saudi king, but a Greek billionaire family has ordered three 230 feet long superyachts in a record deal

U.S. authorities’ excitement turned to frustration as a Manhattan court bluntly rejected the DOJ’s bid to sell the seized Amadea superyacht. Taxpayers are left holding the bag and will be paying $27,000 every day for years to come just to maintain this $325 million vessel.

Roman Abramovich’s armada has two more vessels – UK authorities desperately tried to seize his 180-foot superyacht and a 220-foot support vessel and failed. Now both the ships are in international waters headed to safe havens away from the authorities.

As 2023 comes to an end, billionaires are flocking to St. Barth’s with their massive superyachts to ring in the New Year. From David Geffen’s $590 million megayacht Rising Sun to Eric Schmidt’s $350 million Infinity, and Jan Koum’s Moonrise Yacht, all are enjoying life in the Caribbean to the fullest.

While France and Spain enthusiastically seized luxury yachts worth billions, they are now asking their sanctioned oligarch owners for money to maintain their arrested vessels.

A Saudi princess is suing a millionaire lawyer after he spent her money on a lavish $29 million superyacht and sailed around the world in it.

The day his $580 million yacht was seized, sanctioned Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko switched off the tracking transponders of his $300 million superyacht. Untraceable for more than 2 months now the vessel has a rotating bed, $40,000 bath knobs, and Baccarat-crystal tables.

Blue Dream II-Green is an eco-friendly superyacht design by Aras Kazar

• celebrities

From Private Jets to Superyachts, Here’s the Climate Impact of the Rich and Famous

A s Americans bear the brunt of heat waves, a multi-year drought, and devastating floods, celebrities are being criticized for their exorbitant lifestyles and apparent disregard for the ongoing climate crisis.

The Los Angeles Times reported on Monday that entertainers including Kim Kardashian and Sylvester Stallone were among the more than 2,000 people the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District issued “notices of exceedance” to, alerting homeowners that they used more than 150% of their monthly water budget at least four times since a drought emergency was declared just last year.

And a recent report by Yard, a UK-based sustainability marketing agency, analyzed flight data of the celebrities with the worst private jet emissions. Taylor Swift topped the list at more than 170 flights since January, totalling up to 15.9 days in the air, and 8,293.54 metric tons of CO2 emissions—that’s equivalent to all the emissions from the energy used by over 1,000 homes in the U.S. for a year.

Swift’s representatives, and that of other celebrities, have since denied the claims, saying their jets have been loaned out to others, or that the individuals in question do not own them. And Stallone’s attorney said that the water situation was being “mischaracterized,” as Stallone was trying to ensure that he could keep the more than 500 mature trees on the property alive.

In light of this, environmentalists have been calling for stronger restrictions on such wasteful habits as private air and sea journeys—which thanks in part to pandemic travel restrictions have become increasingly popular. Canada, for example, recently announced it will be implementing a new 10% tax on luxury aircrafts and yachts effective Sep. 1, which in part aims to clamp down on the climate impact of these activities.

Here’s what to know about the climate impact of the uber-rich’s favorite forms of luxury travel.

What’s the climate impact of a private jet?

Aviation produces just under one billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually, accounting for 2.5% of global CO2 pollution.

But while aviation remains a great contributor to the climate crisis, a small number of people are responsible for a large bulk of the impact. In the U.K., surveys in 2013 and 2014 found that just 15% of adults were responsible for 70% of the flights. And according to the clean transport campaign group Transport & Environment , 10% of all flights that departed France in 2019 were private aircrafts.

Read more: Matt Damon Wants You to Care About Water

This is compared to a January Gallup Poll which found that the average American took 1.4 air trips in the past 12 months, with 62% making no trips at all.

The average person produces about 7 metric ton of CO2 annually. Meanwhile, celebrities have emitted an average of more than 3,300 metric tons from their private jets alone so far this year, according to Yard .

In fact, according to @CelebrityJets, a Twitter account that uses data to track celebrities’ private jets, former boxer Floyd Mayweather and celebrity Kylie Jenner have used their planes to take flights under 20 minutes long, for trips that would only take a few hours by car. For comparison, one of Mayweather’s 10-minute flights produced one ton of CO2 , whereas the EPA reports that the typical car will emit 4.6 tons of carbon dioxide annually.

Experts like Colin Murphy, deputy director of the Policy Institute for Energy, Environment and the Economy at the University of California at Davis, told the Washington Post it’s important to look at the frequency of these short trips, and how often these planes carry little to no people.

“They’re doing it in a generally less efficient way than if they were sitting in a coach seat in a 777 or any one of the conventional commercial airliners,” said Murphy. “What you’re doing is you’re burning many hundreds or thousands of gallons of jet fuel to save a carload of people or a couple of carloads of people a few hours.”

What’s the climate impact of a superyacht?

Superyachts can bear a similar burden on the planet, as professors from Indiana University called it “by far the worst asset to own from an environmental standpoint,” in an interview with DW .

An analysis of the top 20 billionaires in the world found that they emitted an average of 8,000 metric tons of CO2 in 2018, of which two-thirds is caused by superyachts. The yacht owned by Roman Abramovich, the billionaire who built a fortune off of trading gas and oil, for example, was responsible for 22,440 metric tons of carbon emissions that year—the same as the emissions released by over 4,800 gasoline cars driving for a year in the U.S.

Read more: To Survive Severe Drought This Summer, California Should Learn From Cape Town’s Water Crisis

Although many experts have pointed to the negative impact these boats can have on the climate, advocates say that not enough is being done. In January, Transport & Environment released a report looking at the exemptions in the European Commission’s Green Deal. Despite measures that would seek to reduce the carbon footprint of the maritime sector, ships over 5,000 gross tonnage and yachts were excluded.

How has the pandemic impacted these activities?

While the pandemic caused a wave of remote work that isolated and devastated many, wealth inequality rose as the world’s 500 richest people collectively saw their wealth increase by more than $800 billion from January to October 2020—the height of the pandemic.

Many of the ultra-wealthy sought to purchase luxury amenities like yachts and private jets during the pandemic as an alternative to flying commercially.

Boat International’s Global Order Book 2022 edition found a 25% increase in the number of new yachts ordered to be built, marking a third year of consistent growth with more than 1,000 boats.

“Everybody just wants freedom, and ultra-high-net-worth individuals can afford it,” Will Christie, a superyacht broker, told the Guardian . “The ability to escape anywhere is very attractive in the current climate. They think: I don’t need to be stuck in the office, and if you’re worth billions, why should you be?”

And this trend does not seem like it will subside in the coming months. Experts indicate that there’s been an increase in the number of first-time buyers and small businesses seeking to purchase private jets, Reuters reports .

“I think the people we’re seeing convert from commercial are not going back to commercial,” Jamie Walker, chief executive of Jet Linx, a company that manages planes and operates private flights, told Reuters. His company has capped sales because they have struggled to keep up with demand.

Airlines’ staffing shortages and cancellations , much of which stems from the push for early retirement pilots faced during the commencement of the pandemic, are sure to entice customers to seek alternatives that can be devastating to the environment.

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Exploring yacht projects driving environmental change and pioneering green technology

Article written by  SuperYacht Times Published on September 4, 2024 Photos courtesy of SuperYacht Times

The superyacht industry is becoming increasingly conscious of its environmental impact, particularly regarding carbon emissions and this year’s Monaco Yacht Show will offer visitors the opportunity to interact with many of the companies that are pushing the sector toward a more sustainable future.

As awareness heightens, a discernible shift has emerged. More than ever, influential owners and stakeholders are actively pushing for a more sustainable future by prioritising investments in environmentally responsible practices.

Furthermore, advancements in sustainable yacht building are being shared on open platforms, enabling other stakeholders to learn from and expand upon these initiatives.

SuperYacht Times explores some of the projects currently ongoing that are pushing the industry to new heights, as well as sharing how visitors can engage with their builders and designers during the show this September.

These initiatives represent groundbreaking advancements in sustainable technology and design, setting new benchmarks for innovation in the superyacht sector.

Future Fuels This year has seen an exciting development in the future of alternative energy, with two highly significant projects launched that will feature unique propulsion technologies. The first is the 49.99-metre Sanlorenzo superyacht Almax, which will be making her global debut at this year's Monaco Yacht Show. Launched in May, Almax features exterior design by Zuccon International Project and interiors by Lissoni & Partners, with naval architecture by Sanlorenzo.

Almax (2024) by SanLorenzo

Almax is a key component of Sanlorenzo's 'Road to 2030' initiative, which aims to introduce a carbon-neutral vessel by the end of the decade.

Developed in collaboration with exhibitor Siemens Energy, this system converts green methanol into hydrogen and then electricity. It is capable of powering the yacht's hotel functions, such as air conditioning and lighting and can recharge the batteries without needing to store hydrogen onboard. The carbon-neutral system can generate up to 100kW of electricity.

This allows the vessel to operate its propulsion engines and diesel generator inactively, thus significantly extending the duration it can spend at anchor without relying on diesel fuel.

The second major development has come from another Monaco Yacht Show exhibitor, the Dutch shipyard Feadship, which launched the 118.8-metre Feadship 821 earlier this year. Project 821 distinguishes itself as the first ever superyacht powered entirely by hydrogen, aligning with Feadship's commitment to developing "net zero" yachts by 2030.

To achieve this, the company has heavily invested in adapting the required technology to the spatial constraints of a superyacht.

The 118.8-metre flagship Feadship 821, launched in May 2024, features exterior and interior design by RWD and naval architecture by De Voogt Naval Architects.

Project 821 by Feadship

According to the Yacht Environmental Transparency Index (YETI), approximately 70-78% of a yacht’s annual energy consumption is attributed to its hotel load, with heating and air conditioning as the primary energy consumers. While Project 821 may not carry enough liquid hydrogen for transoceanic journeys, it can generate sufficient electricity for all hotel load needs.

When required, the fuel cells in Project 821 can also utilise methanol, a liquid fuel which can be stored under ambient conditions. This alternative biofuel can be converted into hydrogen through steam reforming before entering the electrochemical reaction in the fuel cell. Although she will not be at the yacht show herself, the team at Feadship will be exhibiting some of the superyacht’s many features throughout the show and are looking forward to sharing their insights with visitors.

Both Almax and Project 821 mark a major step forward in the use of both hydrogen and methanol and the entire industry is looking for ways to utilise these future fuels.

Solar Power While future fuels and alternative energy are a major topic of discussion, there are a number of companies that have been building yachts with sustainable energy sources.

A key example of this is Sunreef Yachts with their advanced solar power technology, used throughout their lines but most particularly in their ECO series. This year, the Polish builder is exhibiting one of their newest hulls from the Eco series, the 24.5-metre 80 Sunreef Power Eco.

Sunreef 43m Eco

Sunreef’s Solar catamarans harvest power from the solar panels, fitted onto the tops and sides of the yacht, for a more eco-conscious and efficient cruising experience. In-house designed and manufactured by the shipyard, the solar panels are state-of-the-art. Sunreef Yachts was also one of the first companies to integrate solar panels in the curved carbon bimini roofs of its Eco yachts.

While solar panels are a major part of Sunreef’s sustainable development, the yard has also developed a series of electric catamarans and is currently constructing the first Sunreef Zero Cat. This emission-free sailing yacht will be equipped with a reformer which will convert methanol into clean hydrogen, the yacht is also set to generate no nitrogen or sulphur oxides.

Collaboration for a greener future Each year visitors to the Yacht Design & Innovation Hub have the opportunity to listen to top experts discuss a range of topics about the future of sustainable yacht design.

In 2022 Water Revolution Foundation was joined on stage by key companies from yacht construction and design, to discuss the invaluable importance of collaboration across the industry. The goal of this discussion was to demonstrate how important it is for top companies to share their findings with smaller ones, to enable the entire industry to innovate faster and reach the 20% reduction in emissions by 2030.

Since that pivotal event, a number of projects have come to light with this open-source mentality, and a very important one is the 69-metre Vitters sailing yacht, Project Zero by Vripack and Dykstra Naval Architects. This superyacht, which is due for delivery next year, aims to be powered entirely without fossil fuels, a goal that necessitated a comprehensive reevaluation of the design approach using human-centred design techniques.

The yacht's domestic power is designed to be supplied by energy generated through sailing and solar input, with the efficiency of the hull and the design of hydro-generating thrusters playing crucial roles.

The project team tackled the energy challenge by dividing it into four key areas: harvesting, storing, saving, and managing energy.

This approach was supported by extensive data collection from various yachts to capture real-world operational profiles, providing insights into energy usage patterns, such as the frequency of showers by guests.

This data analysis led to the implementation of new solutions, such as installing sensors in lighting systems to reduce energy waste. Another significant innovation is the use of three centimetres of cork insulation beneath a Tesumo deck made of sustainable wood, which replaces conventional fillers and enhances thermal efficiency.

All research from Project Zero is being published on FoundationZero.org , an open-source technology platform, which aims to share findings with the superyacht industry, broader maritime sectors, and beyond.

The project's contributions to hydrogenation, routing, and sail-related technologies will be shared openly with the aim of accelerating innovation across the industry. Both Vitters Shipyard and Dykstra Naval Architects are exhibiting during this year’s show, as is the team at Water Revolution Foundation, so make sure to reach out to them to find out more.

These key projects underscore advancements in alternative fuels, data-driven energy-saving solutions, and ship design within the superyacht industry. As international and domestic legislation increasingly focuses on sustainability, significant innovations in this field are anticipated in the near future.

Project Zero by Vitters shipyard

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The rising interior design firm behind some of latest eco-friendly superyacht refits

When turning superyacht dreams into reality, finding the right yacht designer is crucial. US-based Verge Yacht Design , founded in 2021 by principal interior designer Anita Rivera Turcotte, has quickly proven itself as a leader in the industry despite its relatively young age. The firm has already worked on an impressive array of projects, collaborating with renowned shipyards such as Feadship , Amels and Heesen , among others. Currently working on two new builds and two refits, with three additional refits scheduled for 2024-2025, Verge Yacht Design specialises in full-service superyacht interiors and personalised furnishings, all while being committed to using environmentally conscious materials in its work.

Bespoke superyacht interiors

At Verge Yacht Design, innovation is at the heart of every project. The firm collaborates closely with yacht owners and crew to create stylish and functional spaces that cater to the client’s lifestyle and taste. Verge is known for pushing the boundaries of traditional yacht design, offering creative and customised solutions that are truly one-of-a-kind. A hallmark of Verge’s approach is the incorporation of biomimicry, drawing inspiration from nature to enhance the design.

A prime example of Verge’s expertise is on board the 54.3-metre, Amels-built Revelry , which underwent an extensive eight-month refit at Thunderbolt Marine from May to December 2022. Verge Yacht Design led the complete interior transformation, which included bespoke furnishings, reupholstery, curated artwork, custom Roman sheers and blackout window shades, custom lighting and technical upgrades. The sundeck was also reimagined with an LED-backlit quartz bar top, bespoke seating, spatial reconfiguration, custom barware and a soft refit of the bridge deck and crew areas.

“Anita and the Verge team channelled their many high-end talents to produce a refitted interior beyond our owner’s dreams,” praises the captain. “From design to fit, Verge paired yacht practicality and sustainability into their aesthetic design. As with all projects, when challenges present themselves, it’s the commitment that excels a team to the finish line.”

Service that goes beyond design

Verge Yacht Design has significantly expanded its scope beyond yacht interiors to offer a full suite of services, including project management, furniture design and product engineering. The firm oversees every aspect of a project, from the initial design phase to final implementation, ensuring smooth execution through a trusted network of collaborators and vendors.

The studio’s designs are distinguished by their engineering precision. To bolster this technical expertise, Verge has been collaborating with renowned naval architect Nick Eremic on structural engineering. Eremic’s knowledge in engineering and construction ensures that superyacht concepts are both realistic and functional, while also facilitating an organised process for contractors during the build phase.

Eremic will be joining the Verge Yacht Design team on a full-time basis in September 2024. His expertise will enhance the firm’s capabilities, allowing them to offer 3D models and renderings, engineering drawings comprehensive project management services.

Leading the way in eco-friendly yacht design

Committed to staying at the forefront of eco-friendly innovation, Verge Yacht Design strives to integrate technologies and practices that minimise environmental impact into every aspect of its designs. The firm actively sources materials that reduce weight to lower emissions, as well as carbon-neutral decking and upcycled components.

A key focus for Verge is understanding the origins and production processes of the materials it uses to ensure they are environmentally certified. By selecting marine-grade materials that are reusable and biodegradable, particularly for closed-loop systems, Verge minimises environmental impact while adhering to the highest standards of sustainability.

Verge also prioritises the full lifecycle of each material, carefully evaluating its impact on the marine environment. This involves assessing energy consumption, waste production and the potential for recycling and reuse. Looking to the future, Verge considers the long-term impacts of its material choices, emphasising biodegradability, recyclability and positive end-of-life outcomes. But sustainability in yacht design at Verge extends beyond material selection. The firm also focuses on reducing its carbon footprint throughout the entire logistics and procurement process. This includes maintaining transparency in the supply chain, consolidating shipments, optimising routes, partnering with green carriers, and sourcing locally whenever possible.

Verge Yacht Design is currently developing a yacht-specific furniture line in collaboration with a luxury brand, as well as a marine fabric line, both set to launch in 2026. These exciting ventures position Verge as a brand to watch in the world of superyacht design.

Contact the team at Verge Yacht Design to bring your superyacht design vision to life.

Sponsored content created for Verge Yacht Design

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Bill gates shops for climate-saving farm — aboard super-polluter yacht.

Bill Gates has been scouting for farmland to help save the environment — aboard one of the world’s worst-polluting forms of transportation.

On the eve of his appearance at the United Nations climate summit in Scotland, the billionaire philanthropist commandeered two lavish superyachts for a luxury trip along the Turkish coastline that saw him celebrating his birthday and shopping for “hundreds of acres of farmland,” a source told The Post. “He wants to create a large sustainable farm in Turkey” for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the $50 billion charity he runs with his former wife.

Gates, who turned 66 on Thursday at a beachfront party that included Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, pledged $315 million at the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow on Tuesday to help farmers develop crops that are resistant to climate change.

Gates said the money his nonprofit pledged at Glasgow will go to a seed consortium that will help farmers adapt to changing climate patterns.

“Unless smallholder farmers can adapt to climate change, we will lose the global battle against hunger and poverty,” he tweeted Tuesday.

But Gates set off on his environmental crusade aboard a superyacht, which environmentalists say are among the world’s worst ecological offenders. According to Turkish news reports, he sailed the azure waters of the Aegean on LANA, a 354-foot yacht described as “one of the most luxurious superyachts in the world.” The boat includes eight staterooms, a golf range, a cinema room, a pool and massage rooms. It accommodates 12 guests and 31 crew members, and rents for more than $2 million a week, according to a Monaco-based yacht rental service.

LANA was followed by the Wayfinder — a 223-foot luxury “supply boat” that is believed to be owned by the billionaire and was used to house his 30 bodyguards for the weeklong trip, according to Turkish news reports.

A representative for Gates did not reply to requests for comment.

“A superyacht with a permanent crew, helicopter pad, submarines and pools emits about 7,020 tons of CO2 a year … making it by far the worst asset to own from an environmental standpoint,” wrote climate experts Richard Wilk and Beatriz Barros at the University of Indiana’s Department of Anthropology. Wilk told The Post that the average person’s CO2 emissions in a year are between 5 and 10 tons.

“Gates has publicly admitted that he’s a hypocrite on climate change,” said Wilk. “On the one hand, he’s been doing a lot of outreach on the state of the world, but then [his actions show] he’s not going to give up his lifestyle. It’s a real contradiction.”

Last week, Gates reserved the Sea Me Beach restaurant in the Aegean port city of Fethiye, Turkey, where guests arrived by helicopter and speedboats for the four-hour event, according to Turkish media reports.

Bezos, the second-richest man in the world with a net worth of nearly $200 billion, logged a 120-mile flight to reach the party. He later took a private jet to Glasgow, where he pledged $2 billion to nature conservation and transforming food systems Tuesday.

Gates had hosted 50 birthday-bash guests who dined on sushi and pizza and sipped champagne overlooking the Aegean.

“Gates started in [the resort town of] Bodrum before hopping from bay to bay,” according to an article in the Daily Sabah . He celebrated his birthday Thursday and also visited Izmir, where he took in the sights, visiting the ancient city of Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary, a Catholic shrine where the mother of Jesus is said to have spent her final years.

It was Gates’ second visit to the country in four months, according to the Turkish newspaper, as he has been scouting business and philanthropic opportunities. He already owns 22,000 acres (34 square miles) near Thrace in western Turkey, according to local news reports.

Gates, who finalized his divorce from Melinda Gates, his wife of 27 years, in August, left for Turkey shortly after celebrating his eldest daughter’s wedding in Westchester last month. Jennifer Gates, 25, who is in medical school in New York City, posted a tribute and a photo from her lavish nuptials on Instagram on her father’s birthday last Thursday.

“Grateful to learn from your example of endless curiosity, constant exploration and desire to help humanity. Excited to hear about what you learn in this next turn around the sun,” she said. “Thank you for your support for our union and dream day recently —these memories will last a lifetime 🤍 Xx Jenn.”

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La Paz: Azimut 80 Yacht Charter

Exploring the captivating landscapes of La Paz and the Sea of Cortez has never been more luxurious. The Azimut 80 Yacht Charter offers an unforgettable experience, starting at $4,060 per person for an 8-hour journey. Theres some good gourmet cuisine , first-class amenities, and personalized service from certified captains and guides. With customization options, free cancellation, and a commitment to sustainability , this charter promises a remarkable adventure in a stunning marine environment. What more could one ask for when seeking an exceptional nautical getaway?

• The Azimut 80 Yacht Charter in La Paz offers an all-inclusive luxury yachting experience, starting at $4,060 per person for an 8-hour journey.
• The charter includes exploration of the stunning landscapes of La Paz and the Sea of Cortez, with gourmet cuisine and first-class amenities.
• Safety and comfort are prioritized, with certified captains and guides providing a secure and enjoyable journey.
• Customization options allow guests to personalize their yachting adventure, from cuisine to additional activities.
• The charter company focuses on sustainable practices, minimizing emissions and collaborating with local conservation groups to protect the marine ecosystem.

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Overview and Pricing

The Azimut 80 Yacht Charter in La Paz offers a luxurious yachting experience, starting at $4,060.00 per person for an 8-hour journey.

This all-inclusive package provides guests with the freedom to explore the stunning landscapes of La Paz and the Sea of Cortez.

The charter boasts a free cancellation policy , allowing guests to cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.

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With certified captains and guides, guests can enjoy a safe and comfortable journey while indulging in gourmet cuisine prepared by an onboard chef.

Experience and Highlights

Guests aboard the Azimut 80 Yacht can indulge in a luxury yachting experience, exploring the stunning landscapes of La Paz and the Sea of Cortez. The all-inclusive experience features gourmet cuisine prepared by an onboard chef, allowing guests to savor the flavors of the region. Plus, the yacht offers a private group option, making it an ideal choice for families and friends seeking a memorable outing.

Journey Details

Guests aboard the Azimut 80 Yacht are welcomed warmly by the professional crew as they begin their journey.

They’ll cruise through the azure waters of the Sea of Cortez , marveling at the vibrant marine life and breathtaking views.

Throughout the experience, guests can relax and indulge in every moment of the journey.

The crew ensures the safety and comfort of all passengers, as the Azimut 80 Yacht is part of the commitment to excellence of The Cortez Club.

With certified captains and guides, guests can fully enjoy the luxury yachting experience .

Safety and Comfort

Paramount to the Azimut 80 Yacht Charter experience is the commitment to safety and comfort .

As part of The Cortez Club®, the charter company adheres to the highest standards, ensuring only certified captains and guides are at the helm. Guests can rest assured their journey will be smooth and secure, allowing them to fully enjoy the breathtaking landscapes of the Sea of Cortez.

The spacious and well-appointed Azimut 80 Yacht provides ample amenities to ensure a luxurious and comfortable experience for all.

With a focus on exceptional service and attention to detail, the charter offers a truly unforgettable yachting adventure in La Paz.

Onboard Amenities

Aboard the Azimut 80 Yacht, guests will find an array of sophisticated amenities designed to enhance their yachting experience. From a fully-equipped bar to a spacious sun deck, the yacht offers luxurious features to cater to every need. Onboard, guests can indulge in delectable meals prepared by the skilled chef, while enjoying the stunning vistas of the Sea of Cortez.

Customization Options

Though the Azimut 80 Yacht Charter offers an exceptional all-inclusive experience , the company also allows guests to customize various aspects of their journey.

Clients can choose from a selection of gourmet dishes prepared by the onboard chef, tailoring the menu to their preferences.

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Sustainability Measures

The Azimut 80 Yacht Charter in La Paz demonstrates its commitment to sustainability through several key measures.

It uses eco-friendly fuel to minimize emissions and reduce its carbon footprint. The yacht also employs water conservation practices , such as using desalination systems to reduce freshwater consumption.

Plus, the charter works closely with local conservation groups to protect the delicate marine ecosystem of the Sea of Cortez.

Booking and Contact

To book the Azimut 80 Yacht Charter in La Paz, guests can conveniently do so through the charter’s website or by contacting their team directly.

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With flexible cancellation policies and the option to pay later, booking the Azimut 80 Yacht Charter has never been more accessible.

Secure your spot and get ready for an unforgettable yachting adventure in the stunning Sea of Cortez.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many guests can the azimut 80 yacht accommodate.

The Azimut 80 yacht can comfortably accommodate up to 12 guests for this yachting experience. With ample onboard space and amenities, it’s an ideal vessel for groups of families and friends to enjoy.

Is the Yacht Equipped With Wi-Fi and Other Modern Amenities?

The Azimut 80 yacht is equipped with modern amenities like Wi-Fi, ensuring guests can stay connected during their luxury experience. It also offers other comforts to enhance the overall yachting adventure.

Are Life Jackets and Safety Equipment Provided for All Passengers?

Yes, all necessary life jackets and safety equipment are provided for all passengers aboard the Azimut 80 yacht. The certified crew ensures the safety and comfort of every guest throughout the yacht charter experience.

Can the Yacht Be Customized for Special Events or Celebrations?

The Azimut 80 yacht can be customized for special events and celebrations. The crew is happy to accommodate requests to create a personalized experience for guests, such as decorations, specialty menus, and entertainment.

What Are the Policies Regarding Children and Pets on the Yacht?

The yacht charter has a flexible policy on children and pets. Families with children and well-behaved pets are welcome, but guests should discuss any special requirements with the crew in advance to ensure a comfortable experience for all.

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Azimut 80 Yacht Charter in La Paz offers an unforgettable luxury experience exploring the stunning Sea of Cortez. With gourmet cuisine , first-class amenities, and personalized service , this charter ensures a remarkable adventure in a breathtaking marine environment. The charter’s commitment to sustainability and customization options make it an excellent choice for those seeking an exceptional yachting experience.

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