The Advent of Hydrogen And The Future of Sustainable Yachting

There are watershed years and then there’s 2024. The year for sustainable yachting – and it’ll be launched not once, but twice by the Sanlorenzo Group.

The anticipation is palpable; the stage is set, the lights dimmed and we are all waiting for the curtains to rise in front of two shipyards on the Italian coastline for the big reveals. For the catalyst that will propel us to a brighter, greener future. And the Sanlorenzo Group being the Sanlorenzo Group, we’re not talking about anything in half measures. We’re talking high performance, pinnacle of luxury, hydrogen-powered vessels. Does it get more exciting?

The world’s first hydrogen-powered chase boat is going to fly – quite literally fly. It will lift onto hydrofoils and gun at an eye-watering 50 knots for a staggering 180 nautical miles. And being equipped with methanol fuel cells that generate hydrogen, it will fly with zero emissions. The chase boat is an Italian pedigree – built in Ameglia, Italy, by Bluegame, a brand of Sanlorenzo – founded on a belief and actualised because of the rewriting of protocol on the other side of the Atlantic.

For the 37th edition of the America’s Cup, which as fate would have it, is being held in Europe, each team needs to have a fast, innovative and sustainable chase boat. A chase boat that can be commissioned into the race. What a project for Bluegame to undertake; a project that fits nicely within Sanlorenzo’s Road to 2030 strategy. And so the Bluegame American Cup HSV-chase boat was born. Bluegame has partnered with American Magic and the 10-metre hydrogen chase boat will be lacquered in the team’s metallic Aegean blue and support American Magic throughout the regatta. The fuel cell system and necessary type C containment tank have been recognised and certified by Lloyd’s Register.

The 10-metre chase boat is laying the groundwork for an even larger project scheduled for 2026. Bluegame is simultaneously working on a 20-metre tender, which uses the same hydrogen fuel cells and will be coupled with the latest generation of Volvo Penta hybrid engines. The tender is being built for American Magic and is expected to have an 80 nautical mile range, travelling at 8 knots for 10 hours – again, with zero emissions. It won’t have the incredible 50 knot high speeds, but what it does offer is something much more exciting: replicability.

Tenders are in high demand. And with a new offering for a zero-emission variant, we might see some serious traction in this space. There is a major infrastructure hurdle, which needs not only the industry to get behind but all maritime and governments to back. We’re currently undergoing an electrification revolution which stemmed from F1, so why not a hydrogen one from the America’s Cup? The novel fuel system of the BLUEGAME American Cup HSV-chase boat originates from a partnership signed in 2018 between the Sanlorenzo Group and Siemens Energy. Years of research and more than €5 million investment have made hydrogen in yachting a reality. And the Sanlonrenzo Group isn’t one to oscillate between offerings – its entire product offering is typically dual-pronged and very accurate: performance and luxury. This philosophy has very much underpinned the research being conducted. And we can expect to see the same hydrogen-fuelled innovations in a superyacht package soon – 2024 soon.

Bluegame is driving change in the multihull market with a new disruptive project of a 10-metre hydrogen chase boat for the America’s Cup’s American Magic and Orient Express Racing teams

Sanlorenzo, has invested in the first unit of an all-new series: the 50Steel. Unlike other yachts in the global fleet, the 50Steel will be equipped with a modular Reformer Fuel Cell system capable of transforming green methanol into hydrogen and then into electricity to power the onboard hotel load.

The 50Steel will feature what the shipyard calls a hidden engine room (HER), an innovative concept that creates a new boat layout. The engine room has an innovative arrangement as all the propulsion and technical hardware is located on a single level on the under lower deck, creating a direct connection between the aft beach area and guest area.

The 50Steel, designed by Zuccon International Project, offers accommodation for 10 guests and is built around conviviality. An abundance of exterior space is split over five levels with plenty of al fresco lounging options. The Ocean Lounge is sublime. It’s home to a large swimming pool and three hydraulic wings extend the living space aft, port and starboard, and create a 120 square-metre beach club. A phenomenal size for a 50-metre superyacht.

Lloyd’s Register certificate for the world’s first methanol fuel cell propulsion on Sanlorenzo 50Steel

Sanlorenzo will launch the 50Steel later this year and has every intention of continuing the series and incorporating the HER feature into other series. This launch is also the foundation stone for Sanlorenzo’s vision to deliver the first hydrogen-powered superyacht by 2030.

Hydrogen isn’t a silver bullet to a global challenge, it’s one of the pioneering solutions. Can we say the future is hydrogen? Not yet; and not for certain. But what we can say is that the hydrogen future is here today – and we’re all grateful for it.

50Steel

Watch video on methanol fuel cell propulsion.