LIFE aboard the world’s first carbon-neutral superyacht

Not many LIFE projects get to experience a voyage onboard a 50 metre luxury superyacht. It’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it — so that’s where you’ll find the team from the 3-year, €4 million LIFE OCEAN project. 

The international maritime sector transports 80% of the world’s trade — but that comes with a heavy environmental price. Diesel-powered shipping is responsible for about 13.5% of all EU greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), as well as toxic pollutants including nitrogen and sulphur oxides. 

As with other transport sectors, the use of clean and carbon-neutral fuels could provide a solution. LIFE OCEAN (Onboard Clean Energy And No-noise) teams European energy giant Siemens with Italian superyacht builder Sanlorenzo. Together, they are piloting a green methanol- reformer coupled with a fuel cell system to replace traditional maritime diesel auxiliary generators which, if successful, could pave the way for a carbon neutral global shipping industry.  

Launched earlier this year, the Sanlorenzo 50Steel generates up to 100 kW and claims to be completely carbon neutral. ‘We are establishing an important milestone in decarbonising the maritime industry, paving the way for the widespread adoption of this technology across other types of vessels,” says Project Manager, Markus Wagner, of Siemens Energy. “Our fuel cell system will reduce air pollution and significantly decrease both onboard and underwater noise, as unlike diesel generators, there are no moving parts that create noise or vibrations. The solution constitutes a carbon neutral technology for the maritime sector.’ 

Unlike conventional fuels, green methanol is produced from renewable sources such as agricultural and forestry waste, biogas and municipal sewage — making the 50Steel the first superyacht powered by human poo!  

Green methanol is just one example of clean maritime fuel and LIFE OCEAN is trialling it on just one relatively small vessel on just one vessel. Yet results are already promising. In a single year, Siemens predicts energy savings of 570 MWh and a reduction in carcinogenic and toxic pollutants of 1.2 tonnes. It will also save roughly the same amount of CO2 an average family car emits over more than 1 million km! 

And it’s not just the climate that benefits — noise levels both above and below the water line are minimal compared to diesel generators. As the European Maritime Safety Agency points out, ‘Underwater noise from shipping is increasingly recognised as a significant and pervasive pollutant, affecting marine ecosystems on a global scale.’  

As we celebrate World Maritime Day 2024 — with its theme of Navigating the Future: Safety First! — LIFE OCEAN is helping promote a ‘safe, secure and efficient international shipping industry — for future sustainable green economic growth.’ The project also supports the #WaterWiseEU campaign, which emphasises a ‘critical need to invest in collaboration, research, and innovation’ and aims to tackle some of Europe’s greatest challenges, including building water resilience and protecting our precious marine biodiversity. 

LIFE OCEAN also helps realise the Directive establishing a framework for maritime spatial planning and integrated coastal management; the European Green Deal and the EU Climate Change Adaption Strategy.