Sanlorenzo Premieres SX100 in Cannes, While Shipyard Expands on The Sustainability Path

In the realm of luxury yachting, where innovation meets elegance, the Cannes Yachting Festival is a highly anticipated event that serves as the stage for the finest luxury vessels. At the heart of this year’s captivating spectacle in Cannes was the much-anticipated debut of the Sanlorenzo SX100.

The Sanlorenzo SX100 is a unique yacht that never ceases to astonish, inspiring multiple design opportunities. She is a crossover yacht where spaces and functions unite in large, open spaces that are in close contact with the sea.

The new project’s concept and exterior lines were developed by Zuccon International Project, while the interior of the unit presented at the Cannes Yachting Festival were custom-made to a design by Piero Lissoni. This new hull blends seamlessly into the SX range.

“The SX100 stems from the conviction that today the boat can be thought of as a versatile platform where large spaces can be made available. In a market where demands are multiple, diversified, and multicultural, a design that offers an open stern that effectively represents a blank canvas, where the owner can interpret that space according to his needs and habits, is a great opportunity,” says Bernardo Zuccon of Zuccon International Project.

The SX100 is a further piece in Sanlorenzo‘s most revolutionary and innovative range that has created a previously non-existent segment – a crossover yacht where spaces and functions come together in large, open spaces in close proximity to the sea – into which other yards have subsequently ventured.

Born out of the yard’s constant dialogue with its owners, the SX100 fits effortlessly into the SX range, adopting and reworking its stylistic features to further optimise on-board spaces. The SX100 perfectly complements the rest of the Sanlorenzo range, which all uniquely embody the spirit and design DNA that Sanlorenzo is so known for.

Sanlorenzo is also continuing its journey towards increasingly sustainable sailing. Through the relentless work of its Research and Development department, the group continues to take revolutionary steps in introducing technological systems to reduce the environmental impact of its yachts.

In fact, although yachting accounts for only 0.22% of the total GHG emissions of the entire shipping sector, (Source: International Maritime Organisation, 2021), multiple pressures are pushing companies to adapt to rapid changes and re-evaluate their priorities. On the one hand, yacht owners are increasingly focused on adopting sustainable solutions; on the other, the IMO’s (International Maritime Organisation) stringent plans to achieve Net Zero by 2050 are driving change.

The shipyard’s wealth of expertise and experience, which has always been a source of distinction and pride for the company, has enabled it to sign strategic cooperation agreements with the world’s leading energy and E-fuel players.

 These include the exclusive agreement signed in 2021 with Siemens Energy for the integration of the fuel cell system capable of transforming green methanol into hydrogen and subsequently into energy.

This innovative solution, a first on the market, will initially see the light of day with the new 50Steel, a superyacht whose first unit will be delivered in the summer of 2024. Its methanol fuel cell system will allow the vessel to generate electricity for on-board hotellerie services, with engines and generators switched off, significantly extending the time spent at anchor and maneuvering without consuming diesel fuel. Another innovation that can be defined as revolutionary will be developed on this superyacht, as it radically changes the use of space on board: the HER (Hidden Engine Room) system, which, through a new arrangement and location of the propulsion equipment and the technical area on the under lower deck, which seem to “disappear”, frees up unexpected volumes for the owner’s areas.

Another very important exclusive agreement was signed with Rolls-Royce’s Power Systems business unit, through its MTU brand of products and solutions, for the installation of hydrogen propulsion systems made from green methanol. These solutions will be combined with fuel cells supplied by Siemens Energy and will initially be installed on a Sanlorenzo superyacht prototype.

The yacht segment below 24 metres in length sees Bluegame, a company which belongs to the Sanlorenzo Group, engaged in the design and construction of the BGH HSV (Hydrogen Support Vessel), the first “chase boat” with hydrogen propulsion and the use of foils to reach a speed of 50 knots and zero emissions. This innovative vessel will literally “fly” alongside the New York Yacht Club’s American Magic challenger in the 37th edition of the prestigious America’s Cup in 2024.

This has been an extremely complex project which has occupied the Bluegame development team on several fronts, with the ad hoc realisation of mechanical and electrical parts, including the engine. The team’s effort was rewarded even further by the news, kept strictly confidential for months and unveiled at a press conference, of the signing of the contract between Bluegame and K-Challenge LAB, the company that owns the French Orient Express Racing Team, also a challenger in the 37th edition of the America’s Cup. This is an undoubted recognition of Bluegame‘s technological credibility and of the leadership of the parent company Sanlorenzo in the path towards increasingly sustainable sailing.

Building on the experience of the BGH – HSV project, to date the utmost possible expression of sustainable technology on board a vessel, Bluegame‘s BGM65HH (hydrogen-hybrid) multihull project is taking shape, scheduled to be launched in 2026 and will allow sailing with zero emissions for 80 miles.

For enquiries on Sanlorenzo yachts or Sanlorenzo’s sustainability commitment, please connect with our team at sanlorenzo@simpsonmarine.com.