THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGING

The timescale the print media works at is at odds with the pace of life. This cliché has been true since the invention of the printing press, but this year, more than any other, it has been felt acutely. For those of us who thought we were due a little normality and a more pedestrian pace to life after Covid-19, the frenetic start to 2023 has eroded that dream.

The stark warning from COP27, and the opportunities presented by new regulatory frameworks, as discussed within this report, were intriguing and impactful. The volatility of European geopolitics and global supply chains has been in full flux. However, despite stark warnings, the order book has remained strong and the market relatively buoyant.

In the time it has taken to commission and write this report, we have also seen a seismic shift in our understanding of the role technology will play in our future. Late last year nobody outside of Silicon Valley understood the transformative power of Generative AI and Large Language Models. The way that they, in the past few months, have fundamentally altered the way we generate and understand text, images, audio, video and even computer code is generationally defining.

In November last year, it stumbled over basic maths questions, by February it was passing the BAR exam in the 90th percentile. It feels redundant to even write about it in print (and no, this is not one of those gotcha moments when I reveal that this was, in fact, written by ChatGTP.)

media is slow, the new-build cycle is glacial. In the five years it may take a yacht commissioned today to hit the water, it may be splashing down in a very different world.

For this New Build Report, we have chosen, in part, to highlight a few of the future-focused projects that have the flexibility to change with it. Methanol runs through these pages also. The future fuel of choice for many of the top newbuild yards, it is evident that it will play a fundamental role on the road to carbon neutrality. It is also representative of the superyacht industry’s entry into a significantly more complex market for technology and fuel.

Collaboration and data-sharing are once again at the forefront of the conversation, and it was enlightening to learn more about the ground-breaking Foundation Zero and its zero-fossil-fuel superyacht that is actually putting this into practice via its distinct open-source platform.

The majority of the projects that are adopting these technologies are big, 90-metre-plus yachts from top yards with the budgets and literal on-board space to integrate the required technology. As enjoyable as this edition was to write, there is a vast array of other vessels that will require an equally divergent set of technologies to stay sustainable.

BY JACK HOGAN

It is fair to say that there is a disconnection between the speed at which the world is changing and the superyacht industry’s timescales. If the print

2030 is more than an arbitrary date that suited marketing campaigns; it’s a green wall that we are steaming towards while still arguing about the seating arrangements. I doubt that when it is time to write the next New Build Report we will have been reflecting on a simple and quiet 12 months in the world. The question is whether we have the agility as an industry to move with it. JH

Where are we headed in 2023? 7 Captain Malcolm Jacotine reflects on the contradictory views of industry CEOs and the implications this has for our sustainability aspirations.

‘We need to be an industry of environmental champions’

Stephen Hills, commercial director at Pendennis and chairman of Superyacht UK, on the challenge of meeting emissions targets.

Opinion

Features

Project Zero

Marnix Hoekstra, co-creative director at Vripack, joins TSG to take a closer look at this 69-metre Vitters ketch which is nearing completion.

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Project Domus – because why not?

The three men behind the concept are shunning current design trends and say that turning their sleek non-conformist creation into reality is entirely feasible.

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It’s not all about the aesthetics!

76 Veteran designer Tony Castro reveals the reasons for creating a range of sailing yachts built specifically for exploring the Antarctic and other remote parts of the globe.

The rebirth of a true hybrid 82 TSG joins Hanse Explorer, along with the team from EYOS Expeditions, to experience how this legend is bringing its Polar pedigree to the Pacific.

Arksen 85: A new wave of exploration

69 and philanthropy

We look at the capabilities of these two boats with a range of 7,000nm, and at the build philosophy of the company that hopes to help reframe the ownership model.

The reinvention of Benetti’s 50-metre yachts 89 Comparing the brand new Benetti superyacht Iryna with Alexandra, delivered by the Italian builder more than 20 years ago.

The energy carrier conundrum 94 TSG editor-in-chief Martin H. Redmayne argues that we must adopt an emissions strategy to future-proof the fleet before regulation impacts the industry.