Innovation

Mark Leslie-Miller of Dykstra explains how his dual passions for technology and sailing make naval architecture the perfect career for him.

Teak has long been the timber of choice for yacht decks, exterior furniture and interior finishes, but environmental, ethical and humanitarian concerns are forcing a change – and the superyacht industry is leading the charge to find alternatives.

Foundation Zero is driving the development of Zero, a groundbreaking superyacht aiming to be entirely fossil fuel-free. Led by a diverse team of experts, the project explores innovative solutions like hydrogeneration and thermal batteries. Scheduled for delivery in 2025, Zero sets a new standard for sustainable luxury yachting.

As scrutiny on luxury sectors increases with regard to environmental impact, the yacht industry is taking proactive steps to drive a change from consumption to sustainable luxury through projects designed to promote a new approach in design.

The superyacht industry isn’t just proactively looking to reduce or eliminate its own vessel emissions, it is actually serving as the technological testing ground for the wider maritime sector – and that could be hugely important in our battle against climate change.

While yachting is pioneering new propulsion technologies in the marine sector, it is also looking at how current sustainable solutions can be applied to accelerate the fossil-free transition.

The focus of technology applied to yachts often centres on power and propulsion systems, but pioneering designers and projects are applying it in other ways – from ensuring inclusion to embracing the possibilities of AI.

It’s easy to think of the superyacht industry being behind the times when it comes to greener technologies, but actually history shows nothing could be further from the truth.

As new technologies are developed by pioneering shipyards and their technical partners, the superyacht industry is closer than ever to offering hybrid solutions across its entire size range.