The charter industry is now also gradually making its way towards a CO2-free, more environmentally friendly future, as French charter giant Dream Yacht and shipyard Fountaine Pajot showed at a presentation in Düsseldorf. The French company presented the new electric motor-powered cat Aura 51 Smart Electric at the trade fair, which is just the first of 20 boats that Dream Yacht will be adding to its fleet over the next 18 months.
The key technical data is quite exciting: instead of conventional built-in diesels, the cat has two electric motors that also function as power generators when the boat is sailing. The propellers then charge the lithium-ion battery banks on board - particularly effective at speeds of around six knots and above, but also below. In addition, a large part of the fixed bimini or the roof of the flybridge is fitted with solar panels that charge with 2,500 watts. An optical control panel with charging information is then installed on board, which informs the crew about the current charging status and consumption at all times. This is intended to motivate the crew to sail a lot and use the engine less, similar to what we already know from electric cars.
As the battery banks are only good for two hours of motoring at a speed of eight knots in bad weather without solar charging, a generator with a diesel tank is installed as a backup, which steps in when the battery charge is too low. The boat can then be motored at speeds of up to 6.5 knots. In this way, the customer should always have the security of being able to use the engines in a calm or in an emergency.
Dream Yacht CEO Loic Bonnet explained the project in an interview with YACHT: "This is an important step on the road to carbon neutrality in 2030. We are now starting with 20 boats over the next 18 months, initially more with cats, but a Dufour 35 will also be equipped. This will give us our first important experience with the new drive concept. The first boats are going to the Mediterranean, the 51 to Naples and a 45 cat to Corsica," says the Frenchman. Fountaine Pajot puts the additional purchase price for the electrically powered catamarans at 15 per cent.
Dream Yacht is investing heavily in the fleet in 2023, 180 boats have been ordered, but not all of them can be ordered directly in an electric version, as this would simply overwhelm the bases and shipyards. However, the experience gained with the new electric boats will be decisive in shaping the transition by 2030.
An initiative by Moorings also proves that the industry is setting out to become greener. The fleet operator is now equipping all charter yachts in the Premium series in the Mediterranean with electric motors for the dinghy instead of petrol outboards. After a one-year test phase with the motors from E-Propulsion at a base in the Ionian Sea, the conclusion is very positive: "The customers were enthusiastic about the motors, they are cleaner, quieter and also easier to operate if they are taken on board and attached to the railing," says Moorings Marketing Manager Ingela Wilhelm.
Also very pleasing is a move to make the supply of drinking water on board for the crews independent of the use of plastic bottled water. To this end, all newly ordered Moorings cats will be equipped with filter systems on board that allow water from the on-board tanks to be used as drinking water without any problems. Until now, it has been common practice for crews to stock up on bottled water before setting sail in the Mediterranean, as the tanks are not safe from contamination. Such filter systems, which come from the hospital sector and are of very high quality, were first tested in Jeanneau's Sun Loft models a few years ago. The experience was positive. The new technology is intended to help stem the flood of plastic bottles used by thousands of charter crews, which are not always disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner in the Mediterranean. Too often, the bottles or fragments of them still end up in the sea.
You can see that the industry is tackling the CO2 and plastic problems, which gives hope that the competition will quickly follow suit and thus minimise the environmental impact of the charter market. Perhaps the endeavour to find further good solutions will lead to real competition, which will help to drive forward the transformation of the industry.
