In the press
02/10/2019
The most stunning and most modern private cruise ships gather in the Port of Monaco every year.
Not just anybody can attend the Monaco Yacht Show: admission is €300 per person to view the 125 superyachts moored in Port Hercules. And the price does not include access to the decks of these “floating villas”, worth an average of €27 million. “It’s the world’s biggest show”, says Eric Althaus, a resident of Monaco originally from Zurich, adviser to Prince Albert and CEO of BARNES Yachts, the nautical branch of the luxury real estate leader. “This year, the market is stable, but who knows what tomorrow will bring”. [...]
If you want to go aboard you have to negotiate with the vendor, and if possible pass yourself off as a potential buyer: “Welcome on board!”, finally the words you’ve been longing to hear as you step onto the gangway of the “Bintador”, a 50m yacht. This hybrid boat is driven by a diesel engine capable of recharging its batteries while navigating. “It was built at the Tankoa shipyard in Genoa”, explains one of the nine crew members. “The owner is a wealthy Frenchman who has a helicopter patent”.
Indeed, a helicopter is parked on the foredeck, ready to take you back to land in the blink of an eye. The luxury version of multi-modal transport! The design is Italian. Madame oversaw the fitting. There are even works of art in the stairwell and the dining room table seats up to ten people, giving a ratio of 1 guest per crew member. But the expenses don’t stop at buying and maintaining a yacht, on top of that are the crew’s wages. A pleasure craft captain earns €7,000-€8,000, almost as much as an aircraft pilot.
The current trend - also a result of the megalomania of some owners - is for ever-longer yachts. The average nowadays is 50 metres. By way of comparison, the average length at the Monaco Yacht Show in 1991 was 31 metres. Alongside the “Bintador” is the “Syzygy 818”, based in London. As its name implies, it measures almost double, coming in at just under 82m. Its design is Dutch, and features a revolutionary shape thanks to the extensive use of glass.
But it is far from the longest on the market, a category in which the Gulf emirs have the upper hand. Belonging to Sheikh Khalifa ben Zayed, Emir of Abu Dhabi and son of the founder of the United Arab Emirates, the “Azzam” measures 180m. Completed in 2013, it was designed by the Lürssen Yacht shipyard in Bremen. This six-floor yacht cost upwards of $560 million. It is powered by a 94,000 horsepower engine and can reach a speed of over 30 knots (55 km/h) with a 1 million litre tank.
The “Azzam” can sleep up to 36 guests in 18 regal suites and 60 crew members in 30 cabins. For tax reasons, the world’s largest private yacht is available to charter, although at what price is not stated. Just like the “Eclipse”, owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovitch, this is designed to avoid the European tax system, as charter yachts are exempt from property tax! Only the rich get richer...
Yachts gliding across the water soundlessly, with no vibrations, no odours and no CO2 emissions... electric vessels have numerous advantages, but are struggling to take off due to the even higher prices and the technical constraints that limit their use. But one thing is certain, the nautical sector is set to go the same way as the car industry: “The whole design of ships may need to be reconsidered”, explains Maxime Ninio, an interior designer from Monaco working in the nautical sector. “Whether it’s heating, air conditioning, water flow, electricity generation, etc. But all that comes with a cost, and the cost of batteries is non-negligible...”
Only three vessels at the Monaco Yacht Show were equipped with batteries, but one was experiencing mechanical difficulties and could not be demonstrated. One litre of diesel is equivalent to a 25kg lithium battery. Electric-powered boats are seeing greater success in the river sector, where it is easier to find charging points. The Swedish manufacturer X Shore presented an all-electric boat with sleek lines, helping reduce energy costs tenfold.
According to Konrad Bergtröm, electric motors require much less maintenance. The all-electric or hybrid market is expected to grow rapidly under the pressure of upcoming restrictive measures, particularly in terms of sulphur (SOx) and nitrogen oxide emissions (NOx) and greenhouse gases.
© Bilan.ch - published on Barnes International on 02/10/2019
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