The metallic green paint job of Savannah, launched by Feadship over the weekend, isn’t the only thing different about her. The 274’9” (83.5-meter) megayacht has a hybrid propulsion system marking some notable firsts, an underwater lounge, and other fascinating features.
Built by the Royal de Vries shipyard of Feadship, Savannah sprang partly from the Feadship Future Concept called Breathe from 2010. The owner liked the emphasis on cleaner, more efficient operations. The propulsion system aboard Savannah is the first of its kind for a Feadship—and reportedly in the yachting sector. It’s The components: a single Wärtsilä powerplant, three gensets, batteries, a central variable-pitch propeller, and an azimuthing thruster just aft of that propeller. Furthermore, the prop is 40 percent larger than that of the equipment aboard similar-size yachts, yet has half the load thanks to the thruster. The thruster also, of course, aids in maneuverability.
To be clear, hybrid propulsion in and of itself is not new, to either commercial craft or yachts. It’s the application that stands out. “Feadship has leveraged all of the options available in the marine industry today to bring this hugely innovative system to completion,” says Capt. Ted McCumber, the project manager for Savannah. “The way in which one gigantic propeller has been installed in front, with another electrically powered prop in its slipstream, has also never been applied on a yacht,” explains Henk de Vries, a Feadship director. “A similar system has been used onboard passenger ships in Japan, but that is an ‘industrial’ solution, without the attention to comfort required on a Feadship. To achieve this on a superyacht entailed an exceptional degree of cooperation with Wärtsilä and all the other equipment manufacturers.” In combination with her streamlined hull, Savannah burns about 30 percent less fuel than other efficient Feadships so far, de Vries adds.
What about the batteries? Those were the owner’s idea. As aboard other hybrid craft, they can lend extra knots of speed, assist proper genset loading throughout the speed range, and reduce sound levels by serving as sole propulsion. Feadship says the total wattage is 1 million.
The owner of Savannah certainly didn’t solely focus attention on the yacht’s efficiency. He requested some interesting design elements, too. One we fully expect other owners to copy: sliding glass doors around the saloon. This turns the stretch of deck from the pool to the saloon into an alfresco space. Put another way, it “allows him to run from the main saloon and dive straight into the sea,” McCumber comments.
Then there’s the underwater lounge, which the guest staying in the five staterooms (one with a balcony) can also enjoy. Adjacent to the pool, it also has a glass wall separating it from the swimming area. The lounge can double as a cinema, but with the show of fish outside Savannah’s port side, who’d be able to concentrate on the screen?
The owner tapped CG Design, which previously worked on one other yacht project, to infuse Savannah with more creativity. Lighting plays an important role, with nearly a dozen different colors and lenses. Details on the soft goods aren’t available, though different finishes are said to be used. Speaking of finishes, outside Savannah has the above-mentioned metallic paint, seafoam green. It highlights the styling by CG Design, and it even covers the overheads and fixed deck furnishings. The profile is further enhanced by abundant glass and polished stainless steel, meant to make the superstructure appear to float.
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