Fraser Yachts has adopted a proven tool assessing the superyacht environmental impact of various members of its fleet. It’s the first brokerage company to partner with the Water Revolution Foundation on this initiative.
The tool is YETI, a.k.a. the Yacht Environmental Transparency Index. The non-profit Water Revolution Foundation created the software a few years after it got its start in 2018, to help the yachting industry make meaningful steps toward sustainability. It mobilized superyacht builders, naval architects, and the scientific community to collaborate and contribute to the tool’s creation. The non-profit recognized that both stakeholders and yacht owners lacked an objective way to judge a yacht’s environmental footprint. The collaborative approach therefore would make the tool more intuitive and more likely to see wide adoption, including by captains and crew and brokers.
Specifically, YETI measures the impact based on a yacht’s operational profile. So, for example, it takes into account her speed-to-power ratio, gensets usage, battery banks usage, and more. Importantly, the tool further helps shed light on ways to lower environmental impact even more. The first version of YETI relied upon data from more than 100 superyachts. Subsequent updates have incorporated information from even more yachts, for more accurate assessments.
Initially, 20 yachts in Fraser Yachts’ fleet will undergo assessment for their superyacht environmental impact. All of these yachts are under Fraser’s direct management. Besides the already mentioned factors that YETI takes into account, each yacht’s hotel load usage is considered. Furthermore, individual evaluation profiles are generated. This way, their captains, crews, owners, and managers know exactly what operational behaviors have the lowest to largest impacts.
Robert van Tol, Water Revolution Foundation’s executive director, calls Fraser’s decision “a significant leap forward in our goal to foster a more sustainable yachting industry.” He continues, “Fraser is setting a precedent for assessing the existing fleet transparency and proactively for environmental accountability.”
“This partnership allows us to deliver actionable, data-driven solutions that enable our clients to understand and reduce their environmental impact without sacrificing the luxury and performance that defines the yachting experience,” says Anders Kurten, Fraser’s CEO. Kurten and the larger Fraser team believe that the information they learn themselves will help them guide customers. It should be especially helpful in educating owners about more environmentally friendly choices during refits, for instance. According to the Water Revolution Foundation, at least half of a yacht’s energy consumption comes from hotel loads.
The superyacht environmental impact data additionally will be helpful in conversations with charter clients and buyers. Fraser Yachts notes that these conversations are on the rise. Plus, the company says yachts with better environmental practices are commanding higher resale values.
Fraser Yachts says it plans to encourage more of its customers to adopt environmentally minded actions. It anticipates fellow brokerage, yacht management, and charter companies to follow suit. Fraser will provide regular updates on its fleet’s sustainability efforts. Simultaneously, the company intends to work with financing and insurance partners to offer better benefits to customers whose yachts incorporate meaningful differences.
In related news, the Water Revolution Foundation now offers two versions of the YETI software. YETI Lite is a free, open-source, entry-level tool for non-technical users to better understand their yacht’s environmental footprint. YET Pro, meanwhile, is far more comprehensive, for seasoned technical professionals.
Fraser Yachts fraseryachts.com
Water Revolution Foundation waterrevolutionfoundation.org
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