Smart hybrid-powered Benetti sets the bar high

Benetti has been a pioneer luxury yacht builder since 1873 with some of the world’s most exclusive yacht designs afloat today. That said, our focus here is on 3 mega yachts code-named FB272, FB275 and FB277, all 3 over 100m in length and dubbed the 3 Giga yachts by the shipyard. FB272 is our story today, which demonstrates the huge scope of imagination and build capacity at the Italian shipyard. She features an advanced Lutron domotic system – approximately 500 kilometres of the cable run across her hull and superstructure, providing masses of connection with the outside world: including the huge windows 3 meters in height and the outstanding surface area of 800 square meters of window glass.

FB272’s exterior lines, which include six decks, were created by the owner, Reymond Langton Design and Zaniz Jakubowski and further developed by Benetti into a buildable 3D model. A straight bow offers brilliant seakeeping credentials, while a huge forward deck area brings guests a thrilling vantage point from which to cruise and relax. The main deck offers further dining and social spaces, sheltered and shaded by the graceful overhang of the beautifully styled superstructure. Above this is the wheelhouse and above again is a charming, private deck leading towards the helicopter pad – fully certificated by a recognized aviation agency – equipped with fuelling/de-fuelling station. High swathes of glass wrap the main decks, with the hull featuring a long horizontal strip of glazing from midship to stern. Windows on the upper decks are entirely uninterrupted by structure, giving each deck a floating appearance.

Interior design for the guest areas and crew spaces were conceived and developed by Zaniz Jakubowski of Zaniz Interiors. She also provided her unique artistic expertise in luxury yacht designing to develop a wonderful exterior décor fulfilling the owner’s brief. Known for conceiving spaces that work in synchronicity with their surroundings, this sought-after designer has put her iconic stamp on FB272. The generation/propulsion package is obtained by 6 generators of approximately 1,000 KW each. The electricity produced by those generators is managed electronically, by a sophisticated fully integrated power management system, to feed the consumption of the services on board and the electric motors of two Azipods of 2,200 KW each. The spare electricity is also used to charge 35 tons of batteries which can operate the yacht for 12 hours with no engine running.

This propulsion package is the state of the art of technology today, made by top names such as Caterpillar, Seastema, ABB, under the coordination of Benetti Technical Department. The advantage of this system is vibration-free navigation in total silence: with such stable and soundless cruising, guests might hardly realize they are underway. The air conditioning system and chiller units –which were based on the owner’s specific requirements and supplied by H&H- are one of the biggest ever installed inside a yacht of this size with a total cooling capacity of approximately 3,000KW. The yacht is equipped with a waste heat recovery system conceived by the owner that is capable to feed the yacht and save electrical power in line with the latest green environment requirements.

Before the launch, guests were invited to tour the shipyard before visiting other beautiful Benetti yachts. The launch ceremony was ended with a spectacular entertainment show with special effects. Azimut Benetti’s President Paolo Vitelli declared, “On this auspicious day, I could not be prouder to stand here among Benetti’s family, friends and colleagues to witness the launch of our latest enthralling creation. This iconic project has had a huge impact on local industry and, after more than 2 million hours of skilled work from over 100 suppliers, we can truly pronounce her as a wonderful achievement for Livorno and the “Made In Italy” ethos as a whole. The use of such a large number of suppliers is integral to the Benetti superyacht building philosophy: the perfect balance between the best “Made in Italy” craftsmanship with the most advanced technological and innovative solutions available on the international market.

The Mega Yacht builds are the result of massive investment in the shipyard – an ambitious business plan has prompted financial input of relevant investment in infrastructure, organisation, safety and security, to overcome the challenges presented by building such mega yachts. The development by Benetti of the Mega Yacht Construction Programme (MYCP) has also required the creation of a very large special team of experts in this specific type of project build and the adoption of the most advanced industrial processes in order to guarantee the meticulous quality level expected for this kind of products. Expansion at the Livorno shipyard, in the form of two new-generation steel structure sheds, has enabled Benetti to massively increase its productivity. Benetti is one of the very few yards in the world with the capacity and capabilities to build yachts over 100 meters long.

Benetti Yachts