The Yacht Club de Monaco focuses on alternative fuels

July 5, 2024

“Alternative fuels and advanced yacht technology”. This is the title of one of the conferences held at the Yacht Club de Monaco during the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge week, which aims to build the yachting sector of the future.

MONACO, July 5, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — “Alternative Fuels and Advanced Yachting Technology.” This is the title of one of the conferences held at the Yacht Club de Monaco during the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge week, which aims to build the yachting sector of the future. True to the objective of the “Monaco Capital of Advanced Yachting” approach, the conference addressed issues of technological awareness of the shipping and yachting industry in relation to alternative fuels and cutting-edge technologies.

Methanol and its role in the journey to net zero was one of the topics covered from the yachting industry perspective. “At Lürssen, we have been working on alternative fuels for many years and have looked at different types. There are several criteria that are relevant for alternative fuels, such as energy density, safety, handling and so on. Methanol is the most promising fuel in terms of energy density. It is very easy to handle and can easily be stored in the bottom of the boat. Hydrogen, on the other hand, has a lower energy density and must be stored in a cylindrical tank that cannot be stored on the bottom of the ship, which takes up valuable space in the yacht. That is why we are focusing on methanol. There is now more or less understanding in the yachting industry about the various engine manufacturers who are developing engines for methanol,” said Bernhard Urban, Head of Development and Innovation at Lürssen. “We have to work together. We need shipyards and technical partners, but also trust among yacht owners and crews, the availability of fuel in ports and authorities that act quickly in establishing regulations,” adds Paolo Bertetti, Vice President of Technology and Research & Development at Sanlorenzo.

The role of nuclear energy in the yachting sector was also discussed. “It is possible to have a nuclear reactor on board a yacht. However, the efficiency is different. We started researching about 10 years ago, but we still have to wait for small reactors. We have seen that it is possible to install it in the yacht, which will then be a bit bigger and heavier. However, since most of our yachts only sail for a limited time of the year, we think it is less effective to have a nuclear reactor on board. The reactor can actually deliver 100% of the power 100% of the time, but only a few percent of the time of the year we use the full power. The rest of the time we are anchored. So we think it is more effective to have a nuclear reactor on land or floating somewhere. This could happen sooner or maybe later, when more nuclear reactors are produced, costs come down, safety issues are solved and this is accepted by the general public. “Maybe in 20 to 30 years there will be room for nuclear reactors on board,” said Ronno Schouten, senior specialist at Feadship.

In terms of sustainability, it is important to measure emissions and define life cycles. “We are continuing the development of the Sea Index and today we have launched a collaboration with the maritime classification society ‘RINA’. It is a new method for calculating CO2 emissions based on fuel bunkering and fuel choice. It is also a future-proof method because it can take into account biofuels and different concentrations of these biofuels with a well-to-wake approach. We really hope that this method, which will be accessible very soon on our website, will be used by people and also that the impacts will be visible depending on the type of fuel chosen,” said Natalie Quévert, project manager of Sea Index.

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