Nobiskrug - Challenging the Status Quo
If you ask anyone on the dock to name one of the most striking superyachts ever built, the likelihood is Sailing Yacht A will repeatedly surface. Delivered in 2017, it remains the largest private sail-assisted motor yacht in the world and arguably the most iconic. At 143m in length and designed inside and out by starchitect Philippe Starck, it is also the poster child for what German shipyard Nobiskrug has become world renowned for – breaking the mold of superyacht build capabilities to achieve what others thought to be impossible.
Sailing Yacht A captures the imagination from every angle, with near invisible windows that give the yacht a cocoon-like futuristic appeal. She is as vast as she is unique, from her wave piercing bow to her numerous drop-down balconies and backlit name plate. But aesthetics aside, she is a feat of technological ingenuity with much of her innovation hidden from view.
At 12,600 GT she instantly became one of the most impressive PYC superyachts ever built. She houses an underwater observation pod, hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system and state-of- the-art navigation systems. Her striking three masts are the tallest and most highly loaded freestanding composite structures in the world – the mainmast towers a whopping 100 meters above the waterline. And her steel hull and superstructure are formed from high-tech composite fashion plates, a technology that Nobiskrug has pioneered and developed over the past 15 years.
“Born from the owner’s desire to push the boundaries of engineering and challenge the status quo of the industry, Sailing Yacht A is undoubtedly one of the most visionary projects Nobiskrug has ever been involved in,” commented the shipyard at the time of the yacht’s launch.
What Nobiskrug has managed to cement over the course of its 20 years building superyachts is an individuality that few other shipyards can compete with. Since 92.4m Tatoosh, the first superyacht ever built by Nobiskrug (and still one of the most famous), Nobiskrug has focused unwaveringly on realizing owners’ dreams. From this central point, it has carved out a niche in the industry as the go-to yard for high-performance, aesthetically arresting and wholly innovative yachts. And the ground-breaking deliveries just keep on coming.
Flanked by a striking glass façade Artefact, which launched in March 2020, makes a bold and radical architectural statement. At a whopping 2,999GT she is the world’s largest 80m yacht in terms of volume. Like many of Nobiskrug’s custom new builds, the owner is just as visionary as the yacht. The entrepreneurial owner of Artefact was intent on building a head-turning superyacht that took inspiration from nature. This aim was realized with a hybrid propulsion system, 23 square meters of solar cells, variable-speed generators and lithium batteries. A dynamic positioning system and wastewater system also help to make the IMO Tier-III compliant yacht as environmentally sympathetic as is currently possible.
For Nobiskrug, when it comes to ocean conservation and demonstrating a pioneering practice towards new technology that can help to reduce the harmful effects of yachting, it brings its ‘A’ game every time. One of its most recent initiatives is the collaboration with Yacht Club de Monaco to develop the Superyacht Eco Association (SEA) Index. Launched in September 2020 as part of Planetary Health Week, its aim is to measure the environmental impact of yacht design and use, and in doing so, to become the leading air pollution rating system for yachts.
The hope is that the Sea Index, which provides transparent ecological ratings for superyachts within propulsion systems, energy recovery chemicals, waste and water, will in time grow to become the global industry standard. It has been developed as a customized online tool that enables industry participants to carry out their own ‘no obligation’ emissions assessment. If their results satisfy the relevant criteria, they will be able to request an audit with a view to obtaining a SEA Flag and a SEA rating.
“The next decade will be decisive for the future of our planet,” says Prince Albert II, Prince of Monaco and President of the Yacht Club de Monaco. “Climate change is one of our biggest challenges. In line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, the next ten years must focus on oceanography to underpin our scientific knowledge, encourage technical innovation and promote the emergence of new solutions to reverse - we hope - the cycle of decline in ocean health.”
For Nobiskrug, the SEA Index represents taking one step closer to achieving what it started long ago – innovation on a grand scale.
