- June 1, 2013
- Posted by: Admin
- Category: Ships, Technology

10 Most Amazing Yacht Designs
Yachts have their own pride of place in the global marine paradigm. Each yacht is custom-built, with unique designing dimensions that make each particular yacht design wholesomely appealing. So much so that owning a yacht or chartering a yacht for a personalised trip of the oceanic vista is considered to be a status symbol like no other.
There are innumerable such yacht designs that are literally crafted to perfection to offer the unparalleled uniqueness and luxury. Detailed below are 10 such amazing yacht designs that not only make their owners proud but also substantially enhance the splendour of the yacht designing industry.
The 10 Best Yacht Designs:
- Adastra: Built by John Shuttleworth, Adastra is a triple-hulled yachting vessel. Thanks it to its brilliant engineering designing accounting for low consumption of fuel with better operational efficiency, it finds its place amongst the world’s best designed yachts. The maximum speed offered by Adastra is over 23 knots.
- Superyacht A: The superyacht A was built by the premium yacht building corporation Blohm and Voss in the year 2008. The design of A has gained immense accolades from all over the world for its uniquely inversed hull system. Uber-modern amenities aboard the yacht complete its appeal as one of the brilliantly astounding yachting models of the world.
- Ocean Emerald: A yacht designed to cater to enrich familial experience, the Ocean Emerald is ranked third in this list. Ocean Emerald bears the designing signature of the brilliant marine architect Norman Foster and was constructed by the reputed Italian yacht builders ‘Rodriguez Yachts’ in the year 2009. A welcoming interior with spaciousness all over is the distinct singularity of the Ocean Emerald.
- Yacht Venus: It is perhaps the shipping jewel in Steve Jobs’ electronics’ crown. Designed partly by Jobs and French marine architect Philippe Starck, Venus is famed for its simplicity and beauty. Like with Jobs’ electrical gadgets, even Venus has redefined the boundaries of vessel construction and architecture.
- Guilty: Built by the famed Italian yacht builders Cantieri Navali Rizzardi, Guilty is a hub of incomparable yachting pleasure. The triple-deck vessel bears the designing hallmark of well-known designing names and brands which has added to the value of the Guilty experience like no other.
- Asean Lady: Put into operation nearly a decade ago, Asean Lady was constructed by the Chinese yacht building corporate Yantai Raffles. The yacht takes its architectural designing from more humble boating roots.
This unique designing of the yacht has also made it quite viable to be utilised at various locations all over the world. Asean Lady measures almost 300 feet lengthwise and can operate at speed rates touching about 15 knots. - Silver Cloud: Owned by famous yacht charterers Campers and Nicholsons, the Silver Cloud yacht was built by the Abeking and Rasmussen yacht builders. Silver Cloud is regarded to be highly viable even in the roughest of oceanic conditions thus making it one of the costliest chartering experiences to avail of.
- Ace: Designed by marine architect Andrew Winch and built by German ship building conglomerate Lurssen, Ace yacht is the eight amazing yacht design to feature in this particular list. The yacht has looks spectacularly stream-lined with an ingeniously designed hull structure that is absolutely stunning to behold.
- Palladium: The Palladium yacht design is based on the architectural details provided by the reputed British marine architectural firm ‘Michael Leach Designs’. The yacht bears the constructional excellence of Blohm and Voss. Palladium is equipped with an array of amenities and facilities to cater to the needs of potential patrons.
- Pelorus: Pelorus is owned by one of Hollywood’s biggest known names, David Geffen. The yacht was built by the German yacht builders Lurssen and measures over 375 lengthwise with a width of over 55 feet. Pelorus was commissioned in the year 2003 and has been under the ownership of several other high-profile individuals.
The IMR Vessel Seven Viking is the “Ship of the Year”
The next generation Inspection, Maintenance and Repair (IMR) vessel ‘Seven Viking’, designed and built by ULSTEIN, was announced ‘Ship of the Year 2013’ by the maritime magazine ‘Skipsrevyen’ at Nor-Shipping on 4 June 2013.
“This award is testimony to the result of the collective efforts of Eidesvik, Subsea 7 and ULSTEIN, and a great inspiration to our long-term innovation efforts,” says CEO in Ulstein Group, Gunvor Ulstein.
The cutting edge vessel, designed for operations in the harshest environments, was delivered from Ulstein Verft in January and is co-owned by Subsea 7 and Eidesvik. ‘Seven Viking’ has been working for Statoil in the North Sea since February.
Tailor-made
“’Seven Viking’ is tailor-made for IMR operations and has unmatched technical and operational capacity within this sector. She operates in a most satisfactory way and our client is very pleased,” comments Subsea 7’s Offshore Manager, Vidar Øvstedal.
The ICE-C class vessel, with a crew capacity of 90 and a top speed of 17 knots, works for Statoil on a five-year contract. It has been custom-built according to the operator’s specifications to carry out tasks including inspection, maintenance and repair of subsea installations, in addition to scale treatment and RFO (Ready for Operations) work scopes.
‘Seven Viking’ incorporates the X-BOW® hull line design to reduce motion in transit and give increased stability in the potentially high waves that characterise the North Sea. Despite this enviable stability usually associated with size, this version of the SX148 design from ULSTEIN has been crafted to be compact in stature – measuring only 106.5 metres long and 24.5 metres wide. The dimensions will allow the ‘Seven Viking’ to manoeuvre with ease in confined spaces, such as between platforms, accessing difficult to reach areas.
Beyond expectations
“I am really impressed by this vessel. Being on board a brand-new vessel, I had expected some teething problems, but all systems are working smoothly. We’ve hardly had any disruptions in our work whatsoever,” says Captain Jan Tangenes in Eidesvik Offshore. “We are maintaining a service speed of 16 knots in quite rough weather and we’ve had no trouble with that. The comfort for the personnel on board is very good. This is my first X-BOW vessel, and I am very pleased. She’s delivered beyond my expectations so far,” says Tangenes.
Clever configuration
Thanks to a clever configuration whereby hull space is maximised and equipment is integrated within a large hangar area, ‘Seven Viking’ can carry all necessary maintenance equipment on board, ensuring that operational downtime is kept to a minimum. Safety, efficiency and environmental considerations have been the prime focus for the three partners when developing the vessel, which carries the Clean Design notation.
A customised module handling system (MHS) has been integrated in the ship’s hangar for the safe launch and retrieval of subsea modules weighing up to 70 tonnes through the moon pool. To facilitate cooperation and communication, all operational personnel are gathered in one area adjacent to the hangar, with panoramic windows in the control room giving a full overview of this key activity area.
Comfortable
‘Seven Viking’ has been developed to meet the highest working environment standards, and is classified as a comfort class COMF-V (3) vessel. Minimal noise levels in the hangar have been achieved by opting for electric winches for the ROVs, the MHS and other utility equipment. In addition, she features a separate accommodation unit, positioned away from all active work areas, to ensure that the crew can rest without any disturbances.
Notable environmental initiatives include diesel electric propulsion, which reduces atmospheric emissions, and the electrical winches, which nullify the risk of emissions of hydraulic oil.
Battery And Hybrid Propulsion – Viable For Ships
Spurred by the advances in battery technologies and the commercialisation of electric and hybrid cars, the maritime industry is asking itself: Do these propulsion solutions make sense for ships? Performance benefits, fuel savings and emissions reduction is being weighed against capital investments, practicality, limitations in range and safety. DNV plays a vital role in enabling the safe introduction of large battery packs in ships. With the world’s first class rules for ship propulsion batteries and related projects being brought to life, the company aims to pave the way for battery and hybrid solutions.
Cost benefit
The payback time for pure battery and hybrid systems depends on the capital investment as opposed to their operational cost savings. Even if the capital costs related to pure battery or hybrid systems for cars are significantly less than for ships, the payback time may be significantly less for a ship due to the much higher energy requirements. Estimates show that whereas a hybrid car may not pay back the additional investment within its lifetime, a hybrid offshore supply vessel can have a payback period of less than two years. In addition, one pure battery or hybrid ship may contribute to reductions in emissions similar to emissions from thousands of cars. Pure battery or hybrid systems for relevant ship types therefore clearly make sense.
Battery propulsion
A pure battery ship will be subject to the same range constraints as an electric car, even if space and weight constraints are not as strict. The distance it can travel before the battery needs recharging will therefore be limited, making the availability of charging infrastructure a key factor. Current battery technologies restricted the application to ships operating over short distances between fixed locations.
In such conditions, however, it is becoming a reality. As a result of a contest between various technical solutions, organised by the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications and facilitated by DNV, the first pure battery-driven ship, a ferry, will go into operation on the route between Lavik and Oppedal in Sognefjorden, western Norway, in 2015. The ferry will have access to cheap and renewable electricity at both ports.
Hybrid systems
The actual fuel and emissions reduction gained from a hybrid power system depends on the optimisation of its energy production efficiency. For internal combustion engines, energy efficiencies are normally significantly decreased and the specific emissions increased at low and varying loads. Hybrid power systems avoid operation at these loads by using the battery as an energy buffer that absorbs the load variations. The benefit of hybrid power systems is therefore closely associated with the operational profile. A car driving in urban areas at low and varying engine loads will have a significantly higher benefit from a hybrid power system than one driving on the highway.
Similarly, these systems will be beneficial on ships when the requirements for power variations are high, while the average power requirements are low. This operating profile is relevant for both tugs and offshore supply vessels. Foss was the first to commission a hybrid tug in 2009. The first hybrid offshore supply vessel, Viking Lady, will be commissioned in 2013.