The future is now | Creative Minds: Azimut Yachts

Page 1

P I N K

F L U O

I S S U E

n°3 7

2 0 2 4


[ CREATIVE MINDS: AZIMUT YACHTS ]

THE FUTURE IS NOW Backed by twenty years’ commitment to reducing the environmental impact of its yachts through the creation of lighter craft with more hydrodynamic and innovative propulsion, Azimut takes another important step along this green route with the launch of the new hybrid Seadeck series, the most efficient yet built, with the aim of becoming the Tesla of the sea by Samuela Urbini

76


The Azimut Yachts headquaters are in Avigliana, in Turin province. The brand is part of the Azimut|Benetti Group, which has reaffirmed its status as the world’s top producer of yachts above 24 metres in length. This photo, the Livorno yard

77


[ CREATIVE MINDS ]

These pictures show the new hybrid Seadeck series, with 40% of its surfaces in carbon fibre, the most efficient planing hull ever built and innovative on-board systems to reduce energy consumption. To side and opposite, from top: the original aft space called the “Fun Island”, designed by Alberto Mancini. Entirely open, it provides a more direct contact with the sea. Center, the yacht in profile and below, the interior saloon linked to the Fun Island

T

here’s no magic formula behind becoming the world’s largest

requires a 40% reduction in emissions by 2030, a target that Azimut

producer of yachts over 24 metres for more than twenty years. There

has already reached, complementing the three elements with the first

is passion and determination. The company’s strength and solidity

agreement for the use of alternative fuels signed with ENI Sustainable

has been built up gradually since 1969, the year Paolo Vitelli founded

Mobility, and HVO biodiesel derived from renewable raw materials like

Azimut, a brand that is now at the peak of the world’s yacht-building

vegetable waste or oils generated from cultivated products that do not take

industry and sets the direction to be followed for the future of the sector

land away from plants grown for food. Tests in the lab and at sea made using

– especially protecting the environment. In the words of Giovanna Vitelli,

our yachts have shown a reduction in emissions greater than 80% compared

Azimut|Benetti group president since 2023, “Because sustainability is

to Diesel-powered yachts ”. Last September Azimut also began promoting

no longer a choice, it’s a necessity. The yacht industry runs the risk of

the Carbon Emission Index for yachts below 24 metres in collaboration

promising prototype technology, solutions that could appear more than

with Sea Index and Lloyd’s Register, creating an objective, verified index

fifteen years from now, without working to make a difference right now, but

to compare consumption and emissions.

now is the time we are making the difference for the future”. Low emission

Azimut’s green progress culminates in 2024 with the launch of Seadeck,

yachts make up over half the Azimut fleet, reducing CO2 emissions by

the first hybrid series and the most efficient ever produced by Azimut. “A

up to 30%. The result is based on three elements, the result of decades of

distillation of all our knowledge”, says Vitelli. It aims to be the Tesla of

research – lighter yachts built using carbon fibre, more hydrodynamic hull

the sea, a sustainable model that’s also visually appealing. For this reason

shapes, some patented, and innovative propulsion. “We’re concentrating on

Alberto Mancini was called in to create the exterior design. Manicini is

pod propulsion systems”, says Vitelli. “They are currently the most efficient

already familiar to the brand, based in Avigliana. “He’s a great sculptor of

propulsion systems, a technology that enables us to achieve significant

surfaces and with Seadeck he’s gone beyond the typical dynamic lines we

reductions in emissions. The International Marine Association (IMO)

know him for. He also interpreted the Fun Island, the yacht’s characteristic

78


71


[ CREATIVE MINDS ] Matteo Thun & Antonio Rodriguez were called in to design the interiors of the Seadecks, which share the ideal of a return to nature with their architectural projects, now also applied to this yacht, where natural or recycled materials dominate. Left, the saloon. Below left, the owner’s cabin and right, the VIP cabin. Bottom, the bathroom. Left, Giovanna Vitelli, president of the Azimut|Benetti Group

aft platform, in a very original way. It’s a space where guests can enjoy the yacht’s surroundings and interact with the other people on board”. The interiors reflect the wisdom of choosing collaborations with people outside the sector, in this case with the illustrious architects Matteo Thun and Antonio Rodriguez, pioneers of sustainable architecture and eco-resorts who “have brought on board the concept of well-being in an almost Zen way, with an aesthetic that simplifies and streamlines to give great harmony and balance to the whole. We’ll have a carpet made from recycled fishing nets, lovely looking and with a very pleasant feel. The exterior teak flooring has been replaced by cork, lightening the yacht and harvested without cutting down trees”. Thun calls this a “conscious” project that we’ll see on Seadeck 6 (17.5 metres in length), followed by 7 (21.7 m) in September 2024 and Seadeck 9 (25.6 metres) in 2025. 80


81


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.