COP28 finished with an interesting take on the effects of Luxury Yachts & Yachting and the impact on the environment. Over the past few years there has been a push for more environmentally friendly yachts, and the “Responsible Yachting Forum” at COP28 took this one step further. To recap, the discussion had 8 parts: Carbon-Neutral Yacht Designs, Renewable Energy Integration in Yachting, Zero Waste Yacht Events, Ocean Conservation, Investment in Yachting Green Technologies, Yachting Industry Education and Outreach, Luxury Yachting Collaboration with Climate Organizations and Creating Regulatory Framework for Yachting.
This is far too much to get into in one post, but one of the significant takeaways was regarding Catamarans. With their 2 hulls Catamarans have a natural design efficiency of reduced drag. The greater beam (width) offers a larger surface area to integrate renewable energy and green technologies such as solar panels. In addition, a catamaran’s interior volume and expansive deck spaces rival the space and comfort of much larger, fuel guzzling motor yachts. The Responsible Yachting conversation during COP28 moved to the catamaran side of the luxury mega yacht and super yacht sector for the first time.
Although over the past 10 years we have seen a significant increase in consumer interest in both sailing and power catamarans in the luxury yachting and luxury yacht charters, the size has not exceeded 100 feet for all but 12 private yachts. By stark comparison, more than 275 private yachts over 100 feet were launched in 2022 alone. With this new, open conversation and the strong customer demand for more environmentally friendly lifestyles, we can expect to see continued growth in the more sustainable catamaran yachting sector as these beautiful yachts offering significantly lower environmental impact move mainstream of luxury yachting.
For more information about retrofitting, and current trends in efficient, environmentally friendly catamaran designs, or to charter a catamaran please reach out to Nicholson’s Catamaran Expert, Yacht Manager and Broker Drew Meyers:[email protected]