Sustainability” is definitely in. Sustainable fashion, sustainable jewelry, sustainable cars, sustainable economy, sustainable building… the trend is here to stay. Because the future of our planet is at stake. And where no sector seems to be spared, the yachting industry is proving that luxury can also rhyme with sustainability. Analysis.
“Yachting is undergoing a major transformation. A modernization that is now inevitable. The players in the sector are mobilized and have initiated this change with the research and implementation of new solutions”.
These were the words of Bernard d’Alessandri, General Secretary of the Yacht Club de Monaco and President of the “Yachting Monaco” Cluster, as he introduced the Monaco Ocean Week Yachting Days last March.
The yacht market in figures
According to the market expert, there are currently 10,800 superyachts – yachts over 24m – in circulation. In 2022, 275 of these exceptional boats were built, testifying to the growth of the sector, which some are calling a “boom”[1]. Increased growth during the pandemic, corollary to the rise in the number of billionaires worldwide and the desire to travel in equal luxury, but without the inconvenience of shared accommodation. As much home as transport, the superyacht meets this need for escape, where you are the only master on board[2].
What kind of “industry transformation” are we talking about?
Today, faced with environmental issues, climate change and the disruption it causes, the time has come to research and implement new solutions. Yachts and superyachts that are just as efficient, but more “greener”. All without sacrificing comfort or luxury.
From hybrid superyachts to 100% electric solutions
Increasingly popular, hybrid yachts are part of this desired and necessary sustainability. As with cars, fossil fuels are replaced by electricity or hydrogen. Green energies are becoming increasingly important, as demonstrated by the construction of 100% electric superyachts. For these houses on the water, real living spaces, solar panels are used on the pontoon and other surfaces benefiting from maximum sunlight. And with the majority of cruises taking place in hot climates, the concentration of solar energy during the day is by no means a problem!
These “Teslas of the seas”, as insiders call them, have nothing to envy of historic models: beautiful, luxurious, similar in size, only their power source seems to differ. Innovative, like the Silent Yacht imagined by a sailing couple, they are the perfect embodiment of the industry transformation mentioned above. And while hybrid and electric superyachts may still be the exception, they are nonetheless shaping the future of the sector. (More) sustainable yachting, without sacrificing luxury.
[1] Read our article “Immersion in the (booming) superyacht market”
[2] Read our article « Living all year long on a yacht ? A new reality”
