Sanlorenzo just launched the first superyacht in the world with methane power in a ceremony at its yard in La Spezia, Italy.
The new 164-foot Almx will use methanol fuel cells to produce emissions-free power to run its hotel load at anchor without having to turn on its diesel engines or generator. The methane power can produce up to 100kW of carbon-neutral electricity, greatly extending the time the yacht can spend at anchor without using any diesel fuel.
Massio Perotti, the head of the Sanlorenzo Group, said that with the launch the company “celebrates a fundamental milestone in its history, in the spirit of innovation and sustainability.”
Sanlorenzo developed the methane system with Siemens Energy. It includes a modular reformer fuel system to transform biomethanol (“green” methanol) into hydrogen and then into electric energy. The company says the system can generate enough power to cover about 90 percent of the yacht’s hotel systems (all the electricity that guests and crew use at anchor). With future advances, the system will able to produce even more power that can be stored in the yacht’s batteries, according to Sanlorenzo. The reformer system means that the yacht does not have to store hydrogen on board.
For propulsion, Almx has twin 1,066-hp MAN diesels, producing a top speed of 16 knots and a range of 4,000 nm at 11 knots.
The new yacht has another industry first in is patented Hidden Engine Room (HER) that greatly increases living and social space aft. The engines and mechanical systems are now integrated into an under lower technical deck with the systems spread out horizontally. This positioning creates an additional salon, called the Ocean Lounge, on the lower deck where the engines normally would be. It’s connected to the yacht’s beach club aft, with a swimming pool and fold-out terraces.
Almx has a second pool on the sundeck, a formal dining room on the main deck with 11-foot-high ceilings, and a gym and spa on the lower deck, along with four staterooms for guests.
Read more at http://sanlorenzoyachts.co.uk and see the video below:
