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Exciting new technology is seeping into the yachting industry, changing the way yachts operate and enhancing the experience of owners and their guests. This disruptive technology, coupled with cutting-edge design and a raft of sustainable features, is changing the yachting world for the better. Driving this change has been the ongoing trend for hybrid yachts and explorer yachts, which combine the very best of this disruptive technology.
Disruptive technology at the forefront
The trend for hybrid yachts, which naturally embrace the latest in disruptive technology, also shows no sign of abating. Utilising advanced hybrid technologies that boast fuel-efficient performance for low-impact cruising, hybrid yachts also boast a raft of sustainable features, including wastewater recycling, cutting-edge dynamic positioning systems, and solar panels, to name just a few of their innovative features.
Technology such as the Internet of Things, which allows for a more enhanced user experience, coupled with state-of-the-art integrated technology built into the very fabric of the yacht, is increasingly becoming the norm on the world’s most innovative vessels. This is driven, in part, by ultra-high-net-worth millennials who wish to embrace the latest in disruptive technology.
Efficiency, optimisation, and enhanced communications are also the focus of some of the latest disruptive technologies. This includes the use of artificial intelligence, which can enhance on-board safety, security, and a yacht’s operational efficiency.
Crew training is also being enhanced thanks to the latest technological advances, including the increasing use of virtual reality, allowing training to take place whenever, and wherever in the world.
Cutting-edge custom yacht design
Sailing Yacht A, launched by leading German shipbuilder Nobiskrug, is a perfect example of a yacht that embraces the very latest in disruptive technology.
Boasting a custom yacht design, this striking ocean-going vessel marries technological innovation alongside a host of sustainable features, born out of the desire of her owner to push the boundaries of engineering.
One of the largest and most advanced yachts in the world, Sailing Yacht A boasts a state-of-the-art diesel-electric propulsion system alongside cutting-edge navigation systems, while her three masts are the tallest and most highly loaded freestanding composite structures in the world, giving her sailing potential.
Designed by world-renowned architectural yacht designer, Philippe Starck, her custom yacht design is one of the most innovative in the world, with her unconventional design and lustrous silver-metallic surfaces challenging traditional aesthetics. Constructed of steel and incorporating carbon fibre and composite to keep her weight down, everything about her design is extraordinary, from the completely clutter free deck, to her striking seamless lines and underwater viewing pod.
Another leading yacht is M/Y Artefact, a high-tech environmentally-conscious 80-metre hybrid yacht that expertly marries green technology alongside the latest disruptive technology to help minimise its environmental footprint.
Boasting an innovative custom yacht design, her many features include solar panels, a DC-bus diesel-electric Azipod propulsion system, dynamic positioning system, and a wastewater recycling system. Her striking looks are enhanced by a floor-to-ceiling glass central section, made up of 740 square metres of glasswork weighing in at a staggering 60 tons.
There is no question that disruptive technology is changing the yachting world, including the way in which people not only use yachts, but their experience onboard them too, for the better.
