A green star is born

NEWS	PHOTOGALLERY

Design and technology are constantly evolving. Reflecting on such a dynamism has enabled me to give life to interesting ideas that have inspired solutions used in some of the most important projects that I have worked on with my team. Examples are the 55-metre (180 ft) Ice Class motoryacht Vitruvius Picchiotti by Perini Navi, due for delivery in summer 2011, the 40-metre (131 ft) Alloy San Lorenzo and the recently disclosed Green Voyager, an innovative 44-metre (144 ft) hybrid motoryacht by Kingship. This renowned shipyard with a base in Hong Kong has over the years built a number of yachts which have been constructed with high quality standards and top-brand equipments from around the world.

The Green Voyager project is the result of an intuition of Mr. Roger Liang, Kingship’s Managing Director, and the drawing board of Axis Group Yacht Design. Mr. Liang’s philosophy, in fact, has pushed him to meet the needs of an owner seeking a motoryacht capable of circumnavigating the globe while, at the same time, being of low impact to the environment. Further to an extensive research, the concept developed into a yacht which now features revolutionary engineering solutions and innovative exterior design while fully embracing its eco-friendly original goal. Thus, the very appropriate name Green Voyager.

The Green Voyager is a full displacement vessel with an overall length of 43.90m (144 ft), 8.95m (29.04ft) beam and 499t gross tonnage. It is powered by twin Caterpillars C32 series engines with 60,000 litres of fuel capacity and 4,200 nautical miles of transpacific range. As far as classification is concerned, Kingship has chosen the strictest among all the notations for such a type of yacht: the Rina Green Plus.

To reduce pollution, Marpol (“International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships”) has set basic standards to comply with. Green Plus requirements instead are voluntary and must exceed Marpol performance. A Rina Green Plus compliant yacht must ensure lowered impact in 6 out of 12 forms of pollution as described by Rina. Examples are: increased efficiency with less fuel, minimal or zero discharge of sewage and grey water, lowered impact in the build process, lower oil discharge and many others.

Compliance with such notation, moreover, will allow the Green Voyager to sail even in protected sea areas of the world. To achieve the notation, the engineers of my team, together with those of Kingship, are increasing the yacht’s efficiency in every field. The solutions adopted, such as the plumb bow, are not just stylish; the hull is an advanced displacement type with a twin-curve vertical stem, where the underwater main parametres and geometry have been studied and tank tested to achieve exceptional performances: the 43.50 metre waterline length on a 43.90 metre hull (a merely 40 cm difference) allowed to stretch the hull volume on a longer waterline, which resulted in a lower displacement/length ratio compared to that of a conventional hull with the same overall length and displacement. This hull geometry diminishes the pressure disturbances due to the flow around the forward shoulders of the underwater body thus reducing wave-making resistance. Its particular bow shape with deep and narrow forward sections also limits slamming and allows a smooth passage on the waves, improving fuel efficiency and speed.

Other innovative solutions include the heat reflecting glass allowing air conditioning units to work at a lower rate, thus reducing electrical consumption; high efficiency insulation; heat recovery; gas treatment; ultra efficient propellers, bio lubes and fuels; environmental operational manuals, among others. Power demand is reduced by an average of 20%.Furthermore, the Green Voyager is being designed with three of the following different propulsion packages: conventional, semi-hybrid and full hybrid.

The conventional propulsion package uses diesel main engines and smaller generators compared to those which are generally installed on similar sized yachts, due to the increased overall energy efficiency. The semi-hybrid one, on the other hand, uses diesel main engines and small generators with high-tech battery banks and power management to allow overnight silent operation of hotel loads.

Lastly, the full hybrid represents an extreme and more versatile option. It uses diesel main engines with shaft generators/electric motors fitted within the gearboxes, small variable speed generators with high-tech battery banks and a Siemens SISHIP CIS (Completely Integrated Solution) power management. This is the ultimate option and offers maximum versatility.

The sophisticated power management system manages energy from all sources including a small contribution from solar panels. When the energy produced exceeds the yacht’s needs – a very frequent situation – the system stores the energy in excess in the batteries. Conversely, when demand lowers enough it takes silently power back from them; if the demand exceeds the available kilowattage from the batteries – even briefly – the management system seamlessly starts and brings a genset online ensuring that there will never be insufficient power available.

The Green Voyager can achieve 15 hours of cruising time at 8 knots running with two small generators and the battery packs. Using the electric motors running on batteries allows for 5 silent running hours at 4 knots with zero emission, which is ideal for a slow dinner cruise or a crossing through sensitive areas. Not only do high efficiency and performance mean less impact on the environment, but it also conveys comfort to an owner looking for a relaxing cruise. The main saloon and the upper lounge, for instance, can be completely opened to the panorama and breeze thanks to the wide-opening doors and balconies on both sides, becoming in this way an almost completely al fresco area. By doing this, the enclosed area becomes an open one: you don’t walk out for the view, you’d rather let it in. Isolating the area by the way, also means important air conditioning savings!

Green Voyager, which is currently under construction and will be launched in 2012, is a clear demonstration that a good design is the result of both technical innovation and beauty. But it is now no longer possible to neglect a third element which is as crucial as the others: respect for the environment.

Horacio Bozzo