The first presentation of the day was conducted by Ronno Schouten of Feadship, De Voogt Naval Architects with the impressive new 75m design concept: Durability - Designing for the Long Term - The Aeon Project. The idea behind this vessel is to provide an owner with every luxury and accessories that one might expect on a yacht of this size, but not at the expense of the environment. Schouten was at pains to point out that producing a ‘green’ yacht that does not affect the environment is essentially an impossibility, if an owner truly wants to have no impact then he should buy no yacht at all, or car, plane, house – all of which is bad for the industries involved. Instead the Aeon concept sets out to produce the lowest polluting and most environmentally sensitive vessel feasible. It still includes such exclusive features as a moon pool, underwater viewing window, indoor oyster farm but alongside the latest in green technology and energy efficient thinking. In order to judge the relative success of such a project the team commissioned a study into the environmental impact of a standard yacht using the internationally recognized Eco Indicator. Through this method it was calculated an average (75m) yacht produces around 20 million eco points (a measure of the environmental impact of a single person) over the course of its life (from construction to destruction). The Aeon concept reduces this to about 4 million, which is of course still considerable, but reduces the impact by some 80%.

Caroline Hillier / Superyachtart.com

Perhaps one the key points raised by Schouten was that while measures such as hull & propeller efficiency, crew education and eco-friendly practices do have an effect it is ultimately fuel use for propulsion and the hotel load that is the greatest contributor to environmental impact. Only by reducing this do we actually have a significant effect on reducing emissions, and even with that in mind it the propulsion rather than the hotel keeping that accounts for 78% of fuel use. This rather than any other area of running or building a yacht is what must improve if the industry wishes to develop greener credentials. To that end Feadship have invested considerable resources in investigating alternative fuel sources and developing what they consider to be the answer: algae driven biofuel. Using a reformer and this bio diesel, the technology Feadship are proposing would convert it into hydrogen and that into electricity, with the overall process said to be 50-60% more efficient than a traditional fossil fuel diesel engine. Combined with the use of new more efficient battery technology, solarpanels, insulation, reduced emissions (including C02, sulphur and particles) and better recycling, the Aeon project represents a real step forward to a greener superyachting future. Questions asked of Mr Schouten include the role of better hull designs, the time scale this might be achieveably built in, other possibilities such as kite sails and other fuel types and the space required for this technology. In response Schouten said that while hull designs (as well as kite sails and propeller design) was important it only helped and were not a full solution, with it must be remembered that this was yacht designed to look and feel like what we build today but at a fractional of the environmental cost. In terms of time, it was said that some of the technology was in use, the rest had advanced to a development stage – passing the simple research part. Feadship did consider other fuel types, but algae produced bio diesel was thought the best and most practical, with also having the benefit of freeing up space and making that room more flexibly used within the yacht.

The second session of the day was on Design Technology – The Future is Efficient, with talks from Maarten Sickler – Vuyk Engineering, Jan van den Brandt – PCS Global Automation, Hugo van Wieringen – Azure Naval Architects, Thijs Walraven- Graduate Student – Delft University of Technology/Azure Naval and Jaap Gelling – Damen Shipyards. Maarten Sickler started off the subject with a look into the solutions in design such as modular marine powerplants that allow greater design flexibility and the application of environmentally friendly considerations. Jan van den Brandt continued this discussion with the alternatives for propulsion power and the space saving that can result. A more technical discussion then followed with Hugo van Wieringen and Thijs Walraven describing the need for a standard to judge the energy use and efficiency in yachts. An interesting point raised by van Wieringen was that we do need to make these changes, to keep the industry acceptable to the wider public and therefore avoid any possible future draconian measures that could be imposed. He also highlighted that many owners now actively ask for energy efficiency and environmental impact (a view supported by Ronno Schouten from Feadship). With it important for the industry (and clients) to retain the independence of creating large luxury yachts, but with recognition of the wider concerns of governments and the public. The final talk of the session was on Damen’s new high speed Sea Axe, which is intended (for a 50m model) to work as a shadow support vessel to a larger mothership. The design process was described and the future potential of the design was discussed by the floor and Jaap Gelling. The overall feeling was that its relatively low internal volume precluded its use for the mothership itself, but there was potential for ever larger sizes (with a 65m shadow vessel being talked about by the yard and a possible owner).

Caroline Hillier / Superyachtart.com

After a respite and lunch the sessions started again with Shedding Light on LEDs, with the panel consisting of David Venhaus – Illumination Optics, Paul van Gelderen – Immen Consultancy, Nigel Savage – OceanLED and Chris Harris-Marsh – OceanLED. David Venhaus led a discussion on the theory and technical aspects of LED technology, explaining that it was the development and use of phosper in the lights that allowed the technology to continue its rapid technological change. He also highlighted the need for good optics, thermal management and drive electronics. This discussion was expanded upon by Paul van Gelderen who talked about how the lights are integrated into the design process and the types of products that can use the technology. The final part of the session was from OceanLED’s team who showed off how LEDs lights are tested for quality and durability, with Nigel Savage explaining the current state of the industry and where it might be going. Issues raised by delegates included the life span of LEDs and the problems of replacing the ones fitted to any given yacht in the future, with the type and technology changing so fast – will there be any spares in essence. In response the panel said the LEDs have a life span of approximately 50,000 hours or 15 years (depending on quality and usage), which is far longer than comparable light types. The problem of spares was acknowledged, and it was felt that the answer was to require specific answers from manufacturers and suppliers on the life span, quality and future of products bought. With it suggested it would be wise to buy spares at the start of a yacht's life.

For the fourth part of the day the Design – A Virtual World sought to describe and suggest how new advances in technology may have useful applications in the large luxury yacht market. With a panel of experts including Kay-Johannes Wrede – Wrede Consulting GmbH, Tom H. Grucza – Wrede Consulting GmbH, Francois Mathieu – Dassault Systems, Petteri Vilanen – Napa Group/Onboard-Napa Ltd and Esa Henttinen – Napa Group/Onboard-Napa Ltd. Francois Mathieu of Dassault gave a interesting talk, with a video, on the uses of 3D design systems from the conceptual start of a project, all the way through to resolving engineering issues during the build of a yacht. The second section of the session was provided by the team from Wrede Consulting GmbH, who proceeded to highlight the uses and opportunities afforded by laser scanning in the yacht building process, with an emphasis on not only how it work but also how it could detect faults and serve as a useful aid to resolve engineering issues that may arise. In response to questions from the floor, the team from Wrede stated that the system has been adopted by numerous European yards and is very cost efficient, if one considers the financial penalties for late or substandard delivery. An interesting aspect of its use was also revealed, in that sometimes owner representatives request a full ship scan to ensure that the buyer is getting what he paid for. The final part on the subject was an overview by two members of the team from Napa Group on the need for damage (such as flooding) stability studies to predict and inform the best responses to given situations. The team showed a useful video of their work in recording the fluid dynamics of vessel sunk on purpose under scientific conditions. In response to questioning, the Napa team said that its purpose was to offer a live tool aid to Captains and crew in the event of an emergency, allowing the right informed decisions to be taken through a decision support system.

Caroline Hillier / Superyachtart.com

The final session of the day and whole event was conducted with a panel of interior design experts; Marco Struik – Struik & Hamerslag Yachtinteriors, Gianluca Ascheri – Greenline Yacht Interiors, Curt Biller – HF Interior and Burkhard List – List General Contractor GmbH. After such a busy and often technical three days of speakers and subjects, it was good to see that the majority of delegates had managed to keep going for this last part of GSF: Manufacturing & Production - The Living Space. Starting out with Marco Struik the listeners were given both an overview of his company’s working ethos as well the more general perception of where the interior design world for superyachting was today, and where it was likely heading. Of particular note was his comments that the global downturn cut short the massive under capacity in this sector he still believes exist, with too few train craftsmen and too many substandard operators. He also cited the problem of businesses working (or getting contracts) overseas, which prevents local ones gaining contracts at home. In his view this is a bizarre situation where prices are higher as many materials and skills are exported, with the superyachting industry only likely to become increasingly global this is a strange state of affairs. The comments of Gianluca Ascheri from Greenline serve to expose how their operation runs, as well as the process of working and the needs of any such business to remain a success. He pointed out that the globalisation of the industry was no bad thing, and in his opinion we are now on the edge of a wholescale change in the industry as more and more players emerge from the Middle and Far East as well as Latin America (particularly Brazil) to take a market share of a growing area. Curt Biller explained the viewpoint of design interiors from a refit company perspective while Burkhard List asked the question of the audience do we actually have or want an 'índustry' as such. Questioning that with such custom clients and products is standardisation in design either achieveable or in fact warranted? A discussion at the end of the session highlighted the fact that pricing in metre squared terms for custom yachts in essentially unrealistic and that better prices can be gained through up front information at start of projects. As stated by Burkhard List "Project Managers are the best business cards" and as such investing in them and their skills is often the way forward.

Sally Williams / Superyachtart.com