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Superyachts aim to go green — but at what cost?

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Victor Mallet

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

It is hard to think of a more visible manifestation of great wealth and excessive consumption than a superyacht, as Russian oligarchs have discovered to their cost, following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February.

As western governments began detaining these very obvious luxury assets at harbours and shipyards around the world in successive rounds of economic sanctions aimed at Moscow, the targeted billionaires directed crews to steer the vessels to safe havens such as the Maldives in the Indian Ocean or Turkey in the Mediterranean. Roman Abramovich’s 163-metre Eclipse, one of the world’s largest superyachts and estimated to cost more than $1bn, found refuge in the Turkish port of Marmaris.

Long before the latest Ukraine war, however, the superyacht industry faced a problem unrelated to any support the ships’ wealthy owners may have provided to warmongering authoritarian regimes: their impact on the environment and the impression they gave that the rich could not care less about climate change.

Most superyachts — typically defined as a leisure vessel more than 30 metres or 100ft in length — are essentially motor vessels like small cruise liners, catering to proprietors or charterers and a few pampered guests. The biggest have helicopter pads, swimming pools and gyms as well as luxury suites. Some even have mini-submarines.

Very few are sailing yachts, and most of them consume vast quantities of diesel. Only now are manufacturers starting to develop new technologies such as hydrogen-powered electric propulsion that will cut emissions.

In the meantime, building the boats, operating them and, eventually, scrapping them all have a damaging effect on the environment. The same is true of aircraft and cars, but the very visibility of superyachts in tourist hotspots, makes their ecological footprint an increasingly sensitive topic. The global fleet has grown more than sixfold since 1985 to reach more than 5,200, according to Superyacht Times . And the fleet cruises the world’s vulnerable oceans.

“For sure, now it’s really high up the agenda — there’s been a fundamental shift,” says Monaco-based superyacht designer Espen Oeino, who reckons it is only in the past few years that most proprietors have really started to pay attention to yacht emissions. Clients ask him what can be done to reduce energy consumption onboard, both for propulsion and for the so-called “hotel load” of air-conditioning and other services, and even how to build the boat in the first place in a responsible way.

Rob Doyle, another naval architect who designs superyachts and is based in Kinsale in Ireland, agrees that more owners are beginning to take notice of the need to reduce carbon emissions and protect the environment, though many are still concerned about the cost. “There is still a huge amount of greenwashing,” he says. “You look at the magazines and you’ll never see a bad superyacht.”

And bad they often are. Research by anthropologists Beatriz Barros and Richard Wilk of Indiana University into the carbon footprints of the super-rich found that yachts contributed an outsized share of the carbon emissions of the billionaires who own them — far more than their private jets or mansions.

For former Chelsea Football Club owner Abramovich, for example, of the 31,200 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent he is calculated to have emitted in 2018, no less than 22,400 tonnes came from his yachts. Yacht emissions for Bernard Arnault, owner of LVMH and France’s richest man, accounted for nearly 9,000 tonnes of his total of 10,400 tonnes.

There are other ways for the wealthy to be embarrassed by their superyachts. Dutch shipyard Oceanco is facing resistance from angry locals after asking the city of Rotterdam to temporarily dismantle the old Koningshaven Bridge so that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s new three-masted vessel — this one is a sailing yacht costing hundreds of millions of dollars — can reach the port and the open sea.

But the impact on the climate is still the environmental whale in the room for yacht owners, builders and designers: Bill Gates and Elon Musk are both big carbon emitters, but their 2018 numbers were much lower than those of their fellow billionaires because they did not have yachts, the Barros-Wilk paper showed.

The accelerating effort to green superyachts reflects similar moves in the aircraft and vehicle industries to adopt new technologies and systems that help to reduce or eliminate carbon emissions and other pollution.

For superyacht designers and builders, the process starts with the shape of the hull or hulls, because there are few things so wasteful of energy as pushing a heavy metal or composite vessel through a fluid as dense as water. For both Oeino and Doyle, this search for what Oeino calls the “geometry of an easily driven hull” means looking at multihulls (catamarans or trimarans) for the next generation of big yachts, because they are designed to skim along the surface of the sea rather than laboriously plough through it, even if there are obvious constraints on weight and what you can do with the interior space.

Next, propulsion. There are already diesel-electric boats in service, which use diesel generators running at optimum revolutions (more economical, less polluting) to power electric motors, and, in future, the idea is to run the electric motors with the output from hydrogen fuel cells.

Then there is the electricity needed for the yacht’s hotel load, principally air-conditioning and the making of fresh water from seawater, but also lights and other electrical systems. Solar panels can produce some power but rarely enough even to run a present-day superyacht at anchor, so to charge batteries and run the boat, some other form of carbon-free electricity generation is needed to replace the diesel generators widely in use today.

For Barros and Wilk, none of this can justify owning any kind of superyacht. They write: “While many billionaires have taken pro-environmental actions in their personal lives or their corporate connections or donate money to climate change organisations and purchase carbon offsets, none of these actions actually ‘cancels out’ their total emissions. A 90-metre yacht can be touted as energy efficient or environmentally friendly but, as critics of ‘eco-chic’ point out, it is still a huge waste of resources, a frivolous luxury in a warming world.”

But the industry is trying. Doyle’s answer, developed by his own firm and Van Geest Design, is Domus (“home” in Latin), a project for a 40-metre sailing trimaran described as “the first truly zero-emission yacht” over 750 gross tonnes, which would generate electricity to charge its batteries from solar panels, hydrogen fuel cells and its own propellers acting as dynamos when the boat is sailing.

“It came out of a conversation we had with a client,” says Doyle. “We proposed this project with fuel cells, and regenerative sailing. It’s silent . . . people just want to listen to the water and the wind coming across and not have the hum of generators or the whiff of diesel.”

People just want to listen to the water and the wind coming across and not have the hum of generators or the whiff of diesel Rob Doyle, yacht designer

Hydrogen propulsion is in its infancy for mass transport. The gas is difficult to store, though it can be made from methanol, and there is, as yet, no distribution network for the fuel. But the interest in hydrogen is just one sign of how the yacht industry is hunting for ways to lower emissions in the years ahead as the pressure from regulators — and public opinion — increases.

Oeino notes that in some places, including the World Heritage Site fjords such as Geirangerfjord in his native Norway, rules limiting emissions are already in place and becoming stricter, and will help to force the pace of the greening of ships and yachts.

The first systems for big yachts to be fully powered by renewables are likely to be the tenders, the smaller boats that ferry people to and from the shore, which are already starting to shift to electric propulsion, and the equipment that contributes to the hotel load when the ship is stationary. Hotel loads can, in any case, be reduced by sensible design and operation, given that indoor superyacht spaces are heavily air-conditioned all the time despite owners and guests spending a huge amount of their time outside, on deck.

Transocean travel with zero emissions is a much bigger ask, says Oeino. “A lot of stuff is already being implemented, but the full electric big yacht with zero emissions is still not a reality,” he explains, because it is impossible to store or produce enough energy onboard.

“It will be a combination of things that will bring us all to lower emissions and eventually zero emissions.” 

‘Yachts for science’ can be a breakthrough for explorers

For yacht owners who feel guilty not only about their environmental footprint but also about how little they use their expensive boats, Rosie O’Donnell has the perfect solution: Yachts for Science .

YFS, which its co-ordinator O’Donnell describes as “a dating agency, almost like a Tinder for the sea”, is a platform to match idle yachts and their crews with scientists in search of a vessel that can reach remote areas and allow them to research everything from coral reefs and manta rays to great white sharks. In some cases, the owners and their families like to be on board for the ride.

“It’s for people who want to be a bit philanthropic so they have got something more to talk about than sitting on the back of their boat in St Tropez drinking cocktails,” says O’Donnell. “It’s about making the ownership more worthwhile.”

The idea of YFS fits with the trend among yachtowners to commission robust so-called expedition or explorer yachts that can travel long distances, to the Antarctic for example, rather than being satisfied with something that will buzz at high speeds around the resorts of the Mediterranean or the Caribbean.

“The yachting industry is always looking for ways to reinvent itself,” says Dominic Byrne of Arksen Marine , a builder that backs YFS and is building a new range of high-tech motor yachts. “People are looking to go further afield, and they are looking to do it in an eco-friendly way as much as possible.”

This article is part of FT Wealth , a section providing in-depth coverage of philanthropy, entrepreneurs, family offices, as well as alternative and impact investment

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As Superyachts’ Popularity Grows, So Does Their Climate Impact

By Jessica Nix

Superyachts are the ultimate status symbol for royal families, oligarchs and billionaires from Jeff Bezos to Bernard Arnault. The floating palaces are a source of fascination and secrecy — and greenhouse gas emissions.

The planet-warming pollution caused by luxury vessels that benefit the very few has led lifestyle social scientist Gregory Salle to dub them a form of “ecocide” and “conspicuous seclusion” in his new book, Superyachts: Luxury, Tranquility and Ecocide .

There are almost 6,000 superyachts — that is, vessels over 30 meters (100 feet) — at sea, according to a report earlier this year by media and market intelligence company ...

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Luxury yachts are moored at the bay of Cannes during the 77th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 15, 2024. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

As Superyachts’ Popularity Grows, So Is Their Supersized Climate Impact

Share this article.

By Jessica Nix

(Bloomberg) –Superyachts are the ultimate status symbol for royal families, oligarchs and billionaires from Jeff Bezos to Bernard Arnault. The floating palaces are a source of fascination and secrecy — and greenhouse gas emissions. 

The planet-warming pollution caused by luxury vessels that benefit the very few has led lifestyle social scientist Gregory Salle to dub them a form of “ecocide” and “conspicuous seclusion” in his new book,  Superyachts: Luxury, Tranquility and Ecocide .

There are almost 6,000 superyachts — that is, vessels over 30 meters (100 feet)  — at sea, according to a report earlier this year by media and market intelligence company SuperYacht Times. The total has quadrupled in the past three decades. 

“It’s hard to think about a sign of wealth that is more convincing than that if you possess a superyacht,” said Salle, who is a professor at France’s University of Lille. 

The concentration of wealth hasn’t just led to the superyacht explosion. It’s also led to a split in per-capita emissions, with the most well-off living the highest carbon lifestyles.

The world’s wealthiest 10% already account for half of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions, according to  Oxfam  research. The nonprofit found that it would take 1,500 years for someone in the bottom 99% to emit as much carbon as one of the world’s top billionaires. The ultra rich’s emissions come from a variety of sources, including large homes and frequent jet travel. But superyachts are their single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, according to a  2021 study .  

The annual CO2 emissions of the top 300 superyachts is almost 285,000 tons, according to Salle’s book, an amount more than the entire nation of Tonga. 

Superyachts are also more than climate polluters. Wastewater, noise and light pollution, particulate matter in exhaust, and even where the vessels dock can have an adverse effect on the local environment. Those outsize impacts add up to why Salle has dubbed the vessels a form of ecocide. 

The term — which was coined in the 1970s — refers to the willful destruction of nature and has often been used to describe the actions of the wealthy given their outsize carbon footprint. In 2021, lawyers proposed codifying ecocide into international criminal law, putting it on par with genocide. European Union lawmakers  voted to criminalize  environmental damage “comparable to ecocide” earlier this year. Whether the new law will be used to prosecute the use of superyachts remains to be seen.

Some owners are cognizant of the dangers their vessels pose to the environment. Jeff Bezos’s $500 million superyacht   Koru  set sail in April 2023 with sails to help power its voyage. It still sports diesel-powered motors, though. Oxfam estimates that the 127-meter (416-foot) vessel has emitted 7,000 tons of carbon dioxide over the past year, an amount equal to the annual emissions of 445 average Americans. 

That estimate is also almost certainly on the low end as the calculations account for the yacht being on standby rather than in transit. The number also doesn’t include  Koru ’s companion yacht,  Abeona , a 75-meter support motor yacht that functions like a garage with a helicopter pad and jet skis. 

The sails on Bezos’s ship are an exception: The vast majority of superyachts are solely engine-powered. Only eight new sailing builds were completed in 2023, compared to the 195 new motor yachts. 

Understanding a superyacht’s true carbon emissions is incredibly difficult because of a lack of data collected and the inherently secretive nature of yachting, according to Malcolm Jacotine, founder of the superyacht consultancy firm Three Sixty Marine. Using the International Maritime Organization’s data, Jacotine estimates yachting emissions will hit 10 million tons by 2030 if the industry takes a “business as usual” approach. 

To help owners understand their boats’ impact, he’s developed two carbon emissions calculators. They have limitations, though, because they rely on voluntarily reported data and estimated tons of diesel fuel. 

Yachts spend 10% to 20% of the year sailing and relying on engine power. The boats reach top speed only 0.1% of the year, according to Robert van Tol, executive director of the Water Revolution Foundation. The rest of the year, the vessel is a floating hotel, relying on generators that are required for a longer period of time and emit more CO2, according to Jacotine’s calculations. 

Still, emissions data is done on a boat-by-boat basis, and one yacht may travel more than another in a year, making the traveling emissions higher, according to Oxfam researchers. Yachts are exempt from International Marine Organization emission rules, so true emissions of any boat are difficult to discern. That reflects how superyachts are both ostentatious and somewhat unknowable. 

“Superyachts are made to be noticed,” Salle said. “But [they] are also vehicles that are really secretive in the sense that you can’t access the inside if you are not invited.”  

New builds are focusing less on engines reaching top speeds and more on saving energy in hotel mode. But sustainability may not be at the forefront of purchasing decisions.

“It’s not a totally rational decision to buy a yacht,” said Ralph Dazert, head of intelligence at the media and market insight company SuperYacht Times. “It’s quite an emotional thing because it costs you an absolute fortune.” 

In 2023, the total value of yachts sold totaled €4.6 billion ($4.9 billion), according to Dazert. He said the movement towards sustainability will be largely driven by shipyards and engineers adding features to new builds, including using recycled materials. New types of fuel could also cut emissions. 

This year, Italian shipbuilder Sanlorenzo will test the first 50-meter steel yacht powered by hydrogen fuel cells, and another 114-meter yacht from German shipmaker Lürssen with the same technology is in production for 2025 for Apple Inc.’s former watch developer Marc Newson. 

But the larger the build, the longer the wait time. That means some of these features will take years to appear on the high seas, according to Jacotine.

In a bid to clean up superyachts’ image, some owners are making theirs available for research and exploration. That includes a new 195-meter yacht owned by a Norwegian billionaire Kjell Inge Rokke, which is set to launch in 2026 with over 50 scientists to  study the ocean . (It’s also available for custom cruises.) 

While public scrutiny is mounting, superyachting is a client-driven industry. And for most buyers, luxury still trumps climate concerns. Salle noted that like many upscale items, superyachts aren’t just products. They’re representative of a “lifestyle,” one that right now is intimately tied to carbon-intensive activities. 

“Ecocide is something that causes deep harm, harm that is lasting over time,” Salle said. “You could apply this to what [superyachts] are doing, not just individual … but global.”

© 2024 Bloomberg L.P.

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The climate economics of the world’s 6,000 superyachts: ‘It’s not an entirely rational decision’

Superyachts are the ultimate status symbol for royal families, oligarchs and billionaires from Jeff Bezos to Bernard Arnault. The floating palaces are a source of fascination and secrecy — and greenhouse gas emissions. 

The planet-warming pollution caused by luxury vessels that benefit the very few has led lifestyle social scientist Gregory Salle to dub them a form of “ecocide” and “conspicuous seclusion” in his new book, Superyachts: Luxury, Tranquility and Ecocide.

There are almost 6,000 superyachts — that is, vessels over 30 meters (100 feet)  — at sea, according to a report earlier this year by media and market intelligence company SuperYacht Times. The total has quadrupled in the past three decades. 

“It’s hard to think about a sign of wealth that is more convincing than that if you possess a superyacht,” said Salle, who is a professor at France’s University of Lille. 

The concentration of wealth hasn’t just led to the superyacht explosion. It’s also led to a split in per-capita emissions, with the most well-off living the highest carbon lifestyles.

The world’s wealthiest 10% already account for half of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions, according to Oxfam research. The nonprofit found that it would take 1,500 years for someone in the bottom 99% to emit as much carbon as one of the world’s top billionaires. The ultra rich’s emissions come from a variety of sources, including large homes and frequent jet travel. But superyachts are their single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, according to a 2021 study.  

The annual CO2 emissions of the top 300 superyachts is almost 285,000 tons, according to Salle’s book, an amount more than the entire nation of Tonga. 

Superyachts are also more than climate polluters. Wastewater, noise and light pollution, particulate matter in exhaust, and even where the vessels dock can have an adverse effect on the local environment. Those outsize impacts add up to why Salle has dubbed the vessels a form of ecocide. 

The term — which was coined in the 1970s — refers to the willful destruction of nature and has often been used to describe the actions of the wealthy given their outsize carbon footprint. In 2021, lawyers proposed codifying ecocide into international criminal law, putting it on par with genocide. European Union lawmakers voted to criminalize environmental damage “comparable to ecocide” earlier this year. Whether the new law will be used to prosecute the use of superyachts remains to be seen.

Some owners are cognizant of the dangers their vessels pose to the environment. Jeff Bezos’s $500 million superyacht Koru set sail in April 2023 with sails to help power its voyage. It still sports diesel-powered motors, though. Oxfam estimates that the 127-meter (416-foot) vessel has emitted 7,000 tons of carbon dioxide over the past year, an amount equal to the annual emissions of 445 average Americans. 

That estimate is also almost certainly on the low end as the calculations account for the yacht being on standby rather than in transit. The number also doesn’t include Koru’s companion yacht, Abeona, a 75-meter support motor yacht that functions like a garage with a helicopter pad and jet skis. 

The sails on Bezos’s ship are an exception: The vast majority of superyachts are solely engine-powered. Only eight new sailing builds were completed in 2023, compared to the 195 new motor yachts. 

Understanding a superyacht’s true carbon emissions is incredibly difficult because of a lack of data collected and the inherently secretive nature of yachting, according to Malcolm Jacotine, founder of the superyacht consultancy firm Three Sixty Marine. Using the International Maritime Organization’s data, Jacotine estimates yachting emissions will hit 10 million tons by 2030 if the industry takes a “business as usual” approach. 

To help owners understand their boats’ impact, he’s developed two carbon emissions calculators. They have limitations, though, because they rely on voluntarily reported data and estimated tons of diesel fuel. 

Yachts spend 10% to 20% of the year sailing and relying on engine power. The boats reach top speed only 0.1% of the year, according to Robert van Tol, executive director of the Water Revolution Foundation. The rest of the year, the vessel is a floating hotel, relying on generators that are required for a longer period of time and emit more CO2, according to Jacotine’s calculations. 

Still, emissions data is done on a boat-by-boat basis, and one yacht may travel more than another in a year, making the traveling emissions higher, according to Oxfam researchers. Yachts are exempt from International Marine Organization emission rules, so true emissions of any boat are difficult to discern. That reflects how superyachts are both ostentatious and somewhat unknowable. 

“Superyachts are made to be noticed,” Salle said. “But [they] are also vehicles that are really secretive in the sense that you can’t access the inside if you are not invited.”  

New builds are focusing less on engines reaching top speeds and more on saving energy in hotel mode. But sustainability may not be at the forefront of purchasing decisions.

“It’s not a totally rational decision to buy a yacht,” said Ralph Dazert, head of intelligence at the media and market insight company SuperYacht Times. “It’s quite an emotional thing because it costs you an absolute fortune.” 

In 2023, the total value of yachts sold totaled €4.6 billion ($4.9 billion), according to Dazert. He said the movement towards sustainability will be largely driven by shipyards and engineers adding features to new builds, including using recycled materials. New types of fuel could also cut emissions. 

This year, Italian shipbuilder Sanlorenzo will test the first 50-meter steel yacht powered by hydrogen fuel cells, and another 114-meter yacht from German shipmaker Lürssen with the same technology is in production for 2025 for Apple Inc.’s former watch developer Marc Newson. 

But the larger the build, the longer the wait time. That means some of these features will take years to appear on the high seas, according to Jacotine.

In a bid to clean up superyachts’ image, some owners are making theirs available for research and exploration. That includes a new 195-meter yacht owned by a Norwegian billionaire Kjell Inge Rokke, which is set to launch in 2026 with over 50 scientists to study the ocean. (It’s also available for custom cruises.) 

While public scrutiny is mounting, superyachting is a client-driven industry. And for most buyers, luxury still trumps climate concerns. Salle noted that like many upscale items, superyachts aren’t just products. They’re representative of a “lifestyle,” one that right now is intimately tied to carbon-intensive activities. 

“Ecocide is something that causes deep harm, harm that is lasting over time,” Salle said. “You could apply this to what [superyachts] are doing, not just individual … but global.”

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Les émissions de CO 2 des yachts des milliardaires traquées à leur tour

Après les comptes qui suivent les jets privés, les militants s’attaquent désormais à la consommation des yachts de grandes fortunes, selon « Géo ».

Par Le Point.fr

Temps de lecture : 2 min

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L' empreinte carbone des grandes fortunes à travers leurs  yachts est scrutée de près par les internautes militants. Ces bateaux sont de loin les actifs qui sont le plus émetteurs de CO 2 avec leur personnel permanent, leurs sous-marins, leurs hélicoptères, leurs piscines et leurs poids à déplacer. Avec les jets privés, les milliardaires sont traqués et exposés au grand public par des comptes sur les réseaux sociaux. Dorénavant, les embarcations luxueuses sont également dans le viseur d'un compte Twitter «  Mega yacht CO² tracker  », rapporte Géo .

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Alors qu'il est demandé aux ménages de faire des efforts sur leur consommation d'énergie, cet internaute répertorie les trajets des plus grandes fortunes à travers le monde et calcule leurs émissions de CO 2 rejetées dans l'eau.

Le yacht de Bernard Arnault est le grand vainqueur

Si les vols des jets privés font polémiques, les vacances d'été ont été propices à la création d'un compte suivant les trajets des yachts des plus riches, y ajoutant la consommation de carburant. Selon « Mega yacht CO² tracker », le 15 août 2022, « le yacht de Thomas Leclercq [fils de Michel Leclercq, fondateur de Décathlon] aurait produit environ 3,7 tonnes de CO 2  en consommant 1 439,7 litres de carburant ». Ce qui équivaut quasiment à l'empreinte carbone annuelle moyenne d'un Français (4,4 tonnes de CO 2 selon le ministère de l'Écologie). À LIRE AUSSI Pollutions, nuisances… En Corse, la croisière n'amuse plus

Mais le record est détenu par le Symphony, propriété de Bernard Arnault, qui émettrait pas moins de 16 000 tonnes de CO 2 par an à cause de ses quatre moteurs qui consomment chacun 657 litres par heure, selon les données constructeur, relaie le compte Twitter. Le Français se classait quatrième dans un classement des milliardaires les plus pollueurs établis par The Conversation en 2021. Son superyacht  représente d'ailleurs, à lui seul, 86 % des émissions du milliardaire français.

Le but des comptes tenus par des militants écologistes est de mettre en avant l'impact carbone des habitudes luxueuses des milliardaires à l'heure de la lutte contre le réchauffement climatique et des efforts de chacun. Sauf que cet usage soulève des questions, comme le droit à la vie privée. D'autant que ces avions ou yachts sont souvent loués sans que les milliardaires ne soient forcément à bord.

À ne pas manquer

Damon - les milliardaires : un millionième de l’humanité, le port de bonifacio face au boom des super-yachts, les yachts des oligarques russes se réfugient en turquie.

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Commentaires (48)

Les verts des trotskistes ? je vous laisse juger... Et CONDAMNER.

Merci pour vos propos cela fait du bien de vous lire, c’est autre chose que les pleureurs chroniques dont la seule motivation est la jalousie.

Il y aura toujours quelqu’un qui sera envieux et jaloux de son voisin car il aura juste un truc de plus que lui. C’est fatigant tous ces types qui s’érigent en justiciers alors qu’ils ne produisent que peu de choses et ne donnent certainement pas du boulot - bien payé - a plus de 130 000 personnes comme Bernard Arnault. Ce dernier a d’ailleurs mis en place des centres d’apprentissage d’artisanat qui sont reconnus dans le monde entier. Alors, au lieu de chouriner ou de tout attendre de l’Etat sous le prétexte d’un choix de vie décroissant, montrez ce que vous savez faire ou aller voir ce que donne un vrai pays communiste ! Et personnellement, je trouve que Le Point se dédouane un peu trop rapidement de son exposé à charge avec sa pirouette de fin d’article.

Inside SYMPHONY: Bernard Arnault's $150 Million Yacht

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Ownership of the symphony, features of the superyacht, additional amenities and specifications.

French businessman, investor, and art collector Bernard Arnault is the chairman and chief executive of the world's largest luxury goods company, LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton. He is currently the third richest person in the world and the richest person in Europe. The French fashion tycoon is one the world's ultimate taste-makers and his ownership of the super yacht Symphony is a proof that he likes the combination of class and beauty which comes with a price. With the billions of wealth he has accumulated over the years, it is not at all surprising that he bought a luxury yacht.

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Bernard Arnault is the proud owner of the largest Feadship to be ever made according to the Yacht Habor. The CEO of the French multinational luxury goods conglomerate, LVMH, owns the luxury mega yacht which is worth $150 million. It is not surprising that Bernard Arnault would spend so much for a luxury yacht since he has a stunning net worth of $93.5 billion and currently among the top ten billionaires in the world and recognized as the richest man in France.

Arnault first ventured into the yacht industry back in 2008 when he led the acquisition of the British yacht manufacturer called Princess Yachts. Since then LVMH has been working closely with the world leading brand of custom-built luxury mega-yachts, Feadship. It was in 2015 when Arnault decided to buy Symphony for $150 million. The super yacht has about estimated running costs of $10 to 15 million per year and currently not available for charter.

The Superyacht Symphony comes with eight huge staterooms that can fit about sixteen guests and a comfortable berthing that can accommodate about 27 crew members on board the yacht. It also has a private deck for the owner. It is created to accommodate about thirty six passengers. The exteriors of the yacht were designed by the world class renowned company Tim Heywood Design. The interiors on the other hand were aesthetically designed with the décor of the yacht being done by the one and only Zuretti Interior Design. The Symphony has been constructed by the Feadship at the Royal Van Lent Shipyard as a simple Project 808.

The luxury yacht is currently among the most sought-after private vessels . Bernard Arnault’s luxury vehicle at the sea is far more than par excellence. It is powered by a 2,415 hp Wärtsilä engine which comes with a powerful battery bank and about three generator sets. It also houses the string of amenities of the yacht such as the appointed entertainment areas, the al fresco bar area for parties and events and the state-of-the-art kitchen that is serving stunning decadent French delights. It is also a 101-meter luxury yacht that was built at the Royal Van Lent Shipyard. Symphony has a steel hull that has an aluminum superstructure. The yacht has complied with the amended Passenger Yacht Code (PYC).

The luxury yacht is said to be an eco-friendly yacht which uses a hybrid propulsion technology and powered by a 4x MTU 16V4000M73 engine. Due to the advance hybrid propulsion technology, the yacht can store energy in its battery bank that can work together with its diesel engines. The main engine on the other hand works hand in hand with the generators and modern battery bank that were attached to the yacht. It uses about 30% less than the energy that a normal yacht uses. The maximum speed of the yacht is about 21 knots and the cruising speed is about 10 knots. The Symphony was ranked 50 th out of the top 100 superyacht around the world with a 101.5 meter six deck. The structure of the yacht was made by the De Voogt Naval Architects. The floors and ceilings of the yacht are encased in a light wood panel which was complemented by the w ooden furniture with accents of gold and natural tones .

The Symphony contains luxury features such as the 6 meter glass-bottom swimming pool located on the main deck, an outdoor cinema that was aesthetically placed on the bridge deck and a stunning Jacuzzi on the yacht’s sundeck. The owner’s deck is also equipped with two bathrooms, sauna, forward terrace that has a Jacuzzi as well, a private office space, a spacious lounge and dressing rooms. Since the wife of Arnault, Helene Mercier, is a concert pianist, there is also a piano on board. The owner’s deck also has deck area perfect for lounging with a dining table that can accommodate about 20 people. It also has two elevators for passengers to use and one elevator even features a 15-metre interactive video screen which can play video footages upon the request of the guests.

READ NEXT:  Who Will Bernard Arnault Choose to be a Successor of his Billion Dollar Empire?

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Symphony At Sea: A Glimpse Into LVMH CEO’s $150 Million Superyacht

Bernard Arnault, rumored to have been the third richest man in the world, owns one of the grandest yachts at sea. The impressive superyacht boasts a vast interior and eye-catching aesthetic that make it notable on any list. Mr. Arnault is the CEO of the French luxury goods company LVMH (Louis Vuitton, Moet, Hennessy ) and has caught the attention of yachting enthusiasts with his exceptional seabound treasure.

In 2015, the high-end yacht builder, Feadship, built the $150 million superyacht. Mr. Arnault purchased it, and named it Symphony , a musical metaphor for the billionaire’s undisturbed ocean getaway. It ranks in the top 50 of biggest yachts in the world measuring roughly 333 feet with a max speed of 21 knots, so it’s no wonder that it continues to catch stares wherever it’s docked.

On top of that, the elaborate interior makes this sizable structure stand out from the rest. Zuretti Interior Design, a French studio specializing in luxury superyachts, took on the task of perfecting it. The artisan space was inspired by residences in Bali and Thailand. The walls and floors were covered in light wash wood panels that suggest a hint of ‘upscale tropicale’ . Meanwhile, neutral furniture with gold decor tells a luxe story. On the outside, she has a clean navy blue trim close to sea level that draws the eye to her bright white finish.

This stunning yacht can house nearly 20 guests and has space below deck for a crew of 38. The glamorous owner’s suite includes a private deck with access to an intimate sauna experience and even better views.

This mega yacht has no shortage of amusements. The aft deck has an incredible glass-bottom pool while the bow is taken over by a sleek helipad. A fully-equipped gym also resides here along with a pop-up golf tee. Toys in tow include inflatables, a slide, jet skis, and sea bobs.

Last we heard, the billionaire’s not chartering his vessel, but his own personal guests will take interest in some of the unique features. Those curious about the mechanics behind the craft can have a museum-like experience on board with access to a massive display that tracks speed, rpm, and even allows a glimpse at the underwater camera.

Mr. Arnault has connections in the industry, but he remains quite private amidst it all. Not only is he a shareholder in Dior, but he owns the yacht shipyard Royal Van Lent where his yacht was built. His wallflower behavior spurred his desire to trade in his private jet , but thankfully, Symphony encompasses the calm that he continually seeks. It’s doubtful he’ll part ways with her anytime soon.

BoatNews.com

Symphony, Bernard Arnaud's superyacht with multiple leisure activities

Launched in 2015 and built by Feadship, Symphony is a 101.5 m long superyacht owned by businessman Bernard Arnaud. On board, everything is designed for fun and relaxation thanks to its (very) numerous leisure facilities.

Largest yacht ever built in the Netherlands in 2015

Symphony is a 101.5 m long and 14.10 m wide superyacht built by the Dutch shipyard Feadship at its Kaag yard. Launched in 2015, she is the first yacht of the builder to exceed the 100 m mark, but also the largest yacht ever built in the Netherlands.

Symphony was born from the joint work of Tim Heywood and De Voogt Naval Architects, while the interior design is by Zuretti. It is owned by businessman Bernard Arnault, Chairman and CEO of the luxury group LVMH.

Its steel displacement hull allows it to navigate in faraway lands with maximum resistance, while its aluminium superstructure houses 6 decks with teak flooring. A stabilizer system reduces roll and improves comfort both at sea and at anchor .

Six decks for fun and relaxation

Its six decks with wide terraces offer all the necessary equipment for relaxation and leisure activities. For example, there is a huge helipad on the foredeck to reach the boat directly by helicopter. The sundeck houses an observation lounge, a bar and a jacuzzi. But the long list of facilities doesn't stop at là?!

The Symphony is a true entertainment platform with an outdoor projection screen, HD cinema on the lower deck, dance floor, beauty salon, golf practice, gym, music room with grand piano and library .

The highlight of the show is undoubtedly its 6 m long counter-current swimming pool with a waterfall and a transparent glass bottom. Another superyacht-like facility, to move around the six decks, the Symphony has a lift.

43 people on board

On board, 16 guests can stay comfortably in 8 cabins: 1 master suite, 1 VIP suite and 6 double cabins all with their own bathroom. One of the decks is entirely dedicated to the owner with double bed, double bathroom, dressing rooms, sauna, office, front terrace with jacuzzi or aft terrace with dining room that can accommodate up to 20 guests around the table. 27 crew members are planned to take care of life on board .

A transatlantic capability

With 4 MTU 16V 4000 M73 engines with a power of 1?909 CH and two thrusters, Symphony reaches a cruising speed of 16 knots and a maximum speed of 22 knots. At a reasonable speed of 14 knots, and thanks to its huge fuel tanks of 256?000 litres, the yacht has a range of 5?500 miles. Its water tanks, allowing it to sail autonomously for many months, are just as huge, with a capacity of 56?000 litres.

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Bernard Arnault’s “Symphony” Super Yacht Is First Feadship To Cross 100 Metres

The 105 metre luxury superyacht ‘Symphony’ is the first Feadship to cross 100m and it is now owned by the richest man in France, LVMH CEO Arnault

Ranked 50 out of the world’s top 100 superyachts, the 101.5 metre six deck “Symphony” luxury super yacht with its “bones” by De Voogt Naval Architects and designed by Tim Heywood Design is the largest Feadship ever built in 2015 (a record since been broken by the 110 metre Feadship 1001). The Symphony is also the first Feadship to be fully compliant with the new Passenger Yacht Code regulations, allowing more than the usual twelve passengers.

Interior designed by Zuretti Interior Design, it was the first Feadship to cross the 100-metre mark, and it was revealed to be owned by Bernard Arnault, one of the richest men in world.

• READ MORE: Top 10 Philanthropists in the World

First Feadship larger than 100 metres, “Symphony” luxury super yacht is Owned by LVMH CEO

The CEO of French multinational luxury goods conglomerate, LVMH, owns the largest Feadship to be ever built according to Yacht Habor . According to Forbes, Bernard Arnault with a net worth of US$93.5 billion, is one the world’s top ten billionaires and the richest man in France. Unsurprisingly, the man who has been shaping the luxury world for 35 years is bound to own a luxury mega yacht worth US$150 million.

Arnault’s previous yacht Amadeus was sold in 2016 for an asking price of US$50 million euros and has recently donated €200 million to the rebuilding fund for Notre Dame de Paris . The “Symphony” yacht is worthUS$150 million.

Designed by Tim Heywood and built by Feadship in the Netherlands as Project 808, Symphony has a gross tonnage of near 3,000GT. With an aluminium structure, the yacht can house 36 passengers and is an eco-friendly yacht, using 30 per cent less fuel than other similar yachts.

• READ MORE: Richest People of All Time: From Genghis Khan To Elon Musk, These Are the Billionaires Who Ruled the World

Symphony has a couple of luxury features such as a 6 metre glass-bottom swimming pool on main deck, an outdoor cinema on bridge deck, and a jacuzzi on the sundeck. While the   owner’s deck is equipped with double bathrooms, dressing rooms and a sauna, a forward terrace with Jacuzzi, a private office and a study, a lounge and a spacious aft deck area for lounging with a dining table for 20.

Arnault interest for the yacht industry dates back to 2008 when Arnault ventured into the yacht industry by leading an acquisition of British yacht manufacturer, Princess Yachts which saw L Capital, a fund controlled by LVMH, gain a 70 per cent controlling stake in Princess Yachts . Feadship, the world leading brand of custom-built luxury mega-yachts, has been working with LVMH closely since 2008.

For more yacht reads, click here .

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World’s Richest Yacht Owners

The world’s richest yacht owners.

It’s no surprise that owning a yacht is popular among the billionaire class. It’s not uncommon for billionaires around the world to not only own one luxury superyacht, but multiple yachts. Not to mention tenders and other high-tech watercrafts. Some of the richest people in the world own some of the largest, most expensive mega yachts. We take a look at some of the world’s richest yacht owners and the luxury vessels they have bought.

Bernard Arnault

Worth a whopping $156.8 billion in 2021, Bernard Arnault is a French businessman and art collector most known as the chairman and chief executive of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. He is currently the third richest person in the world. 1 LVMH is a French multinational conglomerate and the world’s largest luxury-goods company. Renowned brands such as Dior, Givenchy, Bulgari, and Tiffany & co. are owned by this corporation.

Bernard Arnault Yacht

Bernard Arnault owns the 101.5-meter motor yacht Symphony . Built in the Netherlands by Feadship, this luxury super yacht has four main engines and can carry 20 passengers and 38 crew. A 6-meter glass-bottom swimming pool and outdoor cinema are some of the vessel’s standout features.

Larry Ellison

Worth $90.6 billion in 2021, Larry Ellison is an American business magnate and investor. One of the most famous yacht owners, he is best known for being the co-founder and executive chairman of Oracle Corporation. Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation known as the world’s largest database management company.

Larry Ellison Yacht

Larry Ellison owns the 87.78-meter motor yacht Musashi . Built in the Netherlands by Feadship in 2011, this five-deck super yacht can accommodate 18 guests and 24 crew. Its exterior was inspired by Japanese design and Art Deco style. An outdoor gym and spa are only a few of the vessel’s luxury amenities.

The eighth richest man in the world as of 2021, Larry Page is worth $90.3 billion. He is an American computer scientist and internet entrepreneur best known as one of two co-founders of Google. Google is an American multinational technology company specializing in internet-related services and products which includes the world’s most used search engine, online advertising platforms, and cloud computing.

Larry Page Yacht

Larry Page owns the 58.8-meter motor yacht SENSES . Built and launched by German yacht builder Fr. Schweers Shipyard in 1999, it went under its latest yacht refit in 2015. This luxury yacht sleeps up to 12 guests with accommodations for 14 crew. An expedition yacht, SENSES  features a large helipad, ice-strengthened hull, and three high-speed tenders.

Yacht Management South Florida, Inc. specializes in complete yacht care . As such, we offer premier maintenance services at our South Florida marina including boat bottom cleaning , and hull painting. Our certified yacht technicians can also go to your yacht to provide dockside assistance and emergency yacht repair services .

Contact us today to schedule any technical work or learn more about out our extensive yacht maintenance services and first-class yacht management program!

Additional Reading

• Top 5 Largest Yachts in The World
• List of Famous Yachts in Movies
• Dorothy Neufeld, Visual Capitalist – The Richest People in the World in 2021

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Boatindustry.com

Princess Yachts: Bernard Arnault and his co-shareholders ready to open the capital

Faced with rumors of being put up for sale, L Catterton, owner of the British shipyard Princess Yachts, has clarified his position, against the backdrop of the industrial development of the high-end yacht brand.

No immediate sale of Princess Yachts

Princess Yachts shipyard is not currently for sale. Following rumors published by SkyNews on May 27, 2022, that the Plymouth, UK-based builder of high-end powerboats was up for sale, the company has officially denied that a deal exists. In a statement, the company highlights recent investments in its X95, Y72 and X80 speedboat models and ongoing commercial successes, with more than 300 boats sold per year and an order backlog through 2024 that is close to $1 billion.

Financing the acceleration of boat production

For all that, L Catterton, owner of Princess Yachts concedes its openness to the arrival of other investors. The investment fund was born of the merger in 2016 of the Catterton fund and L Capital, supported by LVMH and the Arnault group, the French billionaire, who arrived in 2012 at the helm of the British manufacturer. Faced with strong demand for boats and as part of a project to develop the city of Plymouth of a free zone, the industrialist has presented a potential expansion of its production capacity, doubling the number of boats that can be produced by its factory. As part of this, "the company and its shareholders are now considering initiating discussions with potential investors to provide financial support for these exciting growth plans," the Princess Yachts statement said.