Episode 4: The Elephant In The Yacht

After 3 episodes of exploring the boundaries of Feadship’s never-say-no culture, John finally gathers the courage to the most contentious topic in superyachting: sustainability. If there’s one industry under fire for the size of its ecological footprint, it’s the superyacht industry. Without a radical shift towards more responsible material sourcing and non-fossil fuel propulsion, superyachts run of the risk of becoming Noah’s Arks. With owners willing to spend nine figures on a boat, a few more zeroes for sustainability shouldn’t be a problem, right?

Inspired by the hydrogen-powered yacht the TU Delft students showed him in the previous episode, John wants to design the most sustainable superyacht on the planet. What fuel-reducing technologies are available to him? Are there viable alternatives to teak? And is it true that biofuels like ‘Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil’ (HVO) can already reduce a yacht’s carbon footprint by 95%? And if so, why aren’t owners doing it?

In this episode John sits down with Giedo Loeff, head of Feadship’s Research & Development team, and lays all his concerns on the table. Then he checks back in with Tanno to explore the trade-offs his sustainable choices will have on the design of his own superyacht.

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