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About Obsidian

The 84.20-metre Obsidian is one of the most technically advanced and dynamically designed Feadships of recent years.

According to the design team, the brief called for every yacht design norm to be questioned and challenged, both in terms of architecture and engineering, to create a next generation project. Her length is optically stretched by a low profile, horizontal styling features, and very clean shapes flowing aft from a strong bow showcasing strength and seaworthiness.

For the first time in years, Feadship has launched a yacht with a single level engine room, affording considerably more room for creativity with accommodation, in a layout as bold and modern as the exterior profile suggests. Both the exterior design and interior architecture and design are by the British firm RWD in collaboration with MONK design.

Striving for innovation and first-class engineering, Obsidian is the perfect next step on Feadship’s path toward building zero-emission superyachts by 2030. It is the first of the new generation of large yachts furthering carbon reduction through hulls optimised at cruising speed instead of top speed, weight control, advancements in electric propulsion, and the ability to run her generators on HVO, a second-generation biodiesel, a so-called net zero CO2 fuel. Using Feadship’s Advanced Electrical Drive (FAED) program for diesel-electric hybrid power, Obsidian has 4.5 times more electrical storage capacity than Feadship’s first hybrid yacht, Savannah .

Obsidian’s launch specifications

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84m hybrid Feadship Obsidian delivered

Feadship 's 84.2-metre superyacht Obsidian has been delivered after outperforming expectations on sea trials in the North Sea. The project is the newest hybrid vessel to emerge from the Dutch shipyard and the first in a new generation of reduced-emission vessels.

Formerly known as Project 710, the yacht has a futuristic exterior look designed by RWD in collaboration with MONK Design and is equipped with biofuel generators. As part of Feadship's mission to produce more sustainably-focused yachts, the new project uses second-generation biodiesel (HVO) in its generators, which aims to reduce carbon emissions by up to 90 per cent compared to conventional yachts operating on fossil fuels.

The brief for Obsidian was to be more energy efficient and emit less carbon than Feadship’s first hybrid yacht, Savannah , which launched in 2015. Obsidian has 4.5 times more electrical storage capacity than Savannah with no drive shafts and no rudders, which means a significant reduction in drag. Electric drive and steering are through a pair of electric Veth contra-rotating thrusters that have been optimised for maximum efficiency and minimal vibration, dampening vibration being another key component of the brief.

One of the coolest design features is an "Aqua Lounge" with large windows below sea level, similar to the Nemo lounge on Savannah , and an asymmetrical atrium staircase leading to a lower deck dining saloon, where a wall opens to reveal a terrace that sits just 75 centimetres above sea level.

According to the shipyard, "most of the corridors and many of the rooms, as well as all of the al fresco living spaces, are not oriented on a fore and aft or athwartships axis. In fact, except for staterooms, none of the interior rooms have any 90-degree angles." This is evident by looking at the asymmetric stern where a swimming pool sits diagonally behind smoked glass.

The use of submarine anchors eliminates the need for a mooring deck forward and allows Obsidian to have a bow observation lounge with double curved glass floor-to-ceiling windows.

Powering it all is a 4.5 MWh battery bank that is charged by four generators — two larger and two smaller variable speed units based on tweaked CatC32 engines with permanent magnet alternators that deliver power as needed. Where Savannah and Lonian operated on 560 volts, the DC system on Obsidian has a 1,000-volt system because the yacht is fully powered by electricity. Obsidian should be able to cruise for 35 nautical miles at 10 knots on batteries alone and at anchor, the batteries will provide silent operation for 10-15 hours.

In testing, it was revealed that 60 per cent of the energy goes to the hotel load, which was corrected through peak load shaving, reducing HVAC demand and an improved waste heat recovery system that captures heat from the generators and AC chillers through a newly engineered heat pump system. “There are so many points of energy savings integrated on this yacht that it is hard to count,” said project manager Mark Jansen.

Using the Yacht Environmental Transparency Index (YETI) for guidance, it is estimated that Obsidian will operate with 27 per cent less total environmental impact than a yacht of similar size launched only five years ago if run on fossil fuel, and 60 per cent less when using HVO.

Beyond the technology, weight saving was a key component. For example, the louvred aft deck overhangs might at first appear a styling choice but they are all carbon fibre attached to the aluminium superstructure and require no support pillars. The results are threefold with a reduction in weight, the ability to offer new deck layout possibilities and unimpeded views.

Both of the yacht’s primary tenders are electric-powered and custom-made by Tenderworks. Four fast charging stations will allow them to be charged in the water or in the tender garage.

Construction on the new build began in 2020 she is now the 17th largest yacht delivered by the shipyard and the 17th collaboration between RWD and Feadship, following work on the 96.5-metre Faith and 71.1-metre Juice .

The delivery of Obsidian marks a significant step towards the shipyard's goal of carbon-neutral superyachts by 2030.

According to BOATPro , Feadship has 16 projects in build, including its future flagship 118-metre Project 1010 , which was seen on sea trials last year. Including 1010 and 710, the yard is also expected to deliver Project 822 and Project 823 this year.

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Feadship Delivers 84m OBSIDIAN: The Future of Superyacht Sustainability

By Frances Flannagan

84.20m OBSIDIAN is Feadship's first delivery of 2023. She represents a significant step towards Feadship's goal of producing carbon-neutral superyachts by 2030. She is the first of Feadship’s new generation of superyachts furthering carbon reduction through a variety of innovative methods.

OBSIDIAN was built with the intention to be even more energy efficient than SAVANNAH, Feadship’s ground-breaking hybrid yacht launched in 2015. Through hulls optimised at cruising speed, weight control, advancements in electric propulsion, and the ability to run engines on HVO, a non-fossil diesel fuel which reduces carbon emissions by 90%, OBSIDIAN represents the future of sustainable yachting solutions. She has 4.5 times more electrical storage capacity than SAVANNAH along with no draft shafts or rudders, preventing added drag. Whereas SAVANNAH and LONIAN operated on 560 volts, OBSIDIAN is a 1000-volt system as she is fully powered by electricity. 

A key focus for fuel savings onboard OBSIDIAN is capturing “waste” heat to use for other purposes. Waste heat is captured from the generators and from the AC chillers themselves, the AC being the largest consumer of energy. This energy is essentially carbon-free as it reuses incidental heat generated by another function. Mark Jansen, Project Manager, has recognised the success of energy saving onboard OBSIDIAN: ‘There are so many points of energy savings integrated on this yacht that it is hard to count’. 

An innovative heat pump system which transforms thermal energy from one place to another is used to pull heat from various sources. According to Jongepier, it is five times more efficient than making heat with a regular electrical heating coil. A computer system onboard helps to choose the appropriate combination of sources which translates into a number of operational modes. 

OBSIDIAN’S hull form contributes to the advanced sustainable nature of the yacht. She has a low, slim hull optimised at cruising using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Carbon fibre has been effectively used for weight reductions, a complex engineering method which also offers new deck layout possibilities. 

The volume of OBSIDIAN is typical of that on 100m Feadships. The single level engine room leaves more scope for interior layout, and she features a total of seven staterooms. Her bold and modern exterior translates to the interior design, both penned by RWD in collaboration with MONK Design. From a spectacular Aqua Lounge to an observation lounge with floor-to-ceiling windows offering stunning views, the interior design of OBSIDIAN is just as impressive as her advanced sustainability. 

Bram Jongepier, Senior Designer at Feadship De Voogt Naval Architects, developed a sustainability index, which became known as YETI: the Yacht Environmental Transparency Index. This is a guide which shows how all of a yacht’s operations and components contribute to its carbon profile and environmental impact. This shows how Feadship goes further than just reducing CO2 emissions by addressing the overall environmental impact of its vessels. This tool is significant in relation to OBSIDIAN as it can show just how much of a step forward she is with regards to sustainability, showcasing the success of Feadship’s environmental developments. 

YETI operates on the philosophy that one cannot control what one cannot measure. The algorithms describing the environmental impact of individual components, for instance CO2 emissions, have been made freely available by Feadship to the signatories of the Water Revolution Foundation. This foundation is dedicated to driving sustainability in the superyacht industry, resulting in a Joint Industry Project (JIP) under the flag of the Water Revolution Foundation.

The YETI JIP produced a tool that is able to predict the environmental impact of an operational year in the yacht’s lifecycle. Using this tool, it is estimated that OBSIDIAN will operate with 27% less total environmental impact than a similar size yacht launched just five years ago if run on fossil fuel, and 60% less when using HVO. 

Superyachts.com would like to congratulate Feadship on the successful delivery of this ground-breaking yacht.

"There are so many points of energy savings integrated on this yacht that it is hard to count." Mark Jansen, Project Manager of OBSIDIAN

"There are so many points of energy savings integrated on this yacht that it is hard to count."

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By SuperyachtNews 31 Jul 2023

Feadship delivers 84m Obsidian

The dutch shipbuilder claims its latest renewable diesel-powered delivery brings it one step closer to building completely carbon-neutral yachts by 2030….

Feadship has delivered 83m Obsidian , its latest yacht designed to run on renewable diesel and electric propulsion. The ship is the first of Feadship’s new generation of large yachts with the aim of reducing carbon emissions through advancements in weight control, propulsion technology and the use of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuel, instead of traditional diesel.

Obsidian's trials were conducted with the engines running on HVO, which has the potential to reduce carbon emissions by 90% when compared to yachts operating on fossil fuels. Notably, HVO is a ‘second-generation’ biofuel, meaning that it was made using by-products rather than crops that compete with food production.

Feadship says the aim of the project was to build a more energy-efficient vessel than its first hybrid yacht, Savannah , which launched in 2015. Using Feadship’s Advanced Electrical Drive (FAED) programme for diesel-electric hybrid power, Obsidian has 4.5 times more electrical storage capacity than Savannah . 

Bram Jongepier, Senior Designer, De Voogt Naval Architects , developed the Yacht Environmental Transparency Index (YETI),  a sustainability index that provides guidance on how a yacht’s components and operations contribute to its carbon footprint and environmental impact, and used it during Obsidian's  12-month design process.

According to Jongepier, YETI can calculate 90% of the total lifecycle of a yacht. With YETI available to Water Revolution Foundation signatories, the Foundation predicts that the environmental impact of O bsidian  will operate with 27% less total environmental impact than a yacht of similar size when powered by fossil fuel, and 60% less when using HVO. 

Inside the hull, Obsidian’s propulsion and steering are supplied by two Veth contra-rotating thrusters that deliver both shaft and rudder functions. These are powered by a 4.5 MWh battery bank that is charged by four generators — two large and two small, custom, variable speed units based on tweaked CatC32 engines with permanent magnet alternators. 

The change in propulsion methods alone didn't provide the level of fuel savings Feadship desired. Using the YETI tool, the shipyard noticed about 60% of the energy consumed goes simply to powering the onboard lifestyle. To combat this, Feadship sought to utilise the yacht’s waste heat for efficiency.

Feadship’s engineers introduced a heat pump system to pull waste heat from ambient seawater, generators and AC chillers. The heat pump then transports thermal energy from one place to another and is five times more efficient than making heat with a regular electrical heating coil, according to Jongepier.

Obsidian also has a single level engine room, which gave the designers more freedom in creating the interior layout and more space for guest accommodation with a total of seven staterooms. Jansen says the volume of the yacht is more typical of that on 100m Feadships. Both the exterior and interior design are by the British firm RWD and Switzerland-based MONK Design.

Obsidian will also employ Quantum XT™ (extendable) Fin Stabilizers, a semi-retractable boat stabilizer fin system that operates underway and at zero speed, optimised for energy efficiency.

Renewable diesel and biofuels are becoming more prevalent in superyachting as the race to decarbonise the industry continues. And it is availability is increasing too. Recently,  Peninsula announced that it will supply biofuels to yacht owners in the Gibraltar Strait and surrounding areas, having recently received its International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC).

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Feadship releases images of superyacht OBSIDIAN heading for sea trials

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By Nina Done   26 June 2023

With the sun shining and Goldilocks sea conditions, the impressive 84m (276ft) superyacht OBSIDIAN departed Feadship ’s build facilities at Alsmeer in the Netherlands to undertake her first round of sea trials, designed to test her capabilities, equipment and safety features.

Known throughout her build as Project 710 , the steel and aluminum motor yacht  showcases a low profile with masculine lines and seamless tinted glazing that wraps around her plumb bow, bearing all the hallmarks of her Feadship pedigree. 

She also sports a metallic gray hull with teak accents on the lower edges of each faring on her superstructure, creating a distinctive look that marks her out against her contemporaries.

Her exterior design and naval architecture are from the boards of RWD, a long-time Feadship collaborator, while her interior styling is from the pen of French studio Monk Design, also in collaboration with RWD.

Some of the standout features on board the 2,555 GT yacht include an observation lounge on her bow with double-curved glass floor-to-ceiling windows, an asymmetrical atrium stairwell leading to a formal dining area that can be opened up for guests to enjoy waterside views and an Aqua Lounge in her stern offering unique underwater vistas.  

She is also fitted with the latest Starlink antennas enabling download speeds of up to 350MB anywhere in the world.

The yacht also boasts a raft of green credentials, including an optimized hull at cruising speed and the ability to run her generators on HVO, which is essentially hydro-treated vegetable oil, offering a 90% reduction in greenhouse gasses, helping Feadship and their clients work towards a net zero CO² fuel goal.

She is also able to capture waste heat from the custom variable speed generators and air conditioner chiller to supply heat to the AC system, pool water, domestic water, engine preheating, and more. Meanwhile, an innovative heat pump system allows the yacht to draw heat from seawater.

Delivery is expected in the coming months, following the successful completion of sea trials. It is not expected that superyacht OBSIDIAN will be available for charter once she’s delivered to her owner.

In order to make enquiries regarding a charter with a Feadship superyacht, please get in touch with your preferred charter broker . Alternatively, view all superyachts available for charter .

Image credits: @Feadship

Video credits: Dutch Yachting

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One of the greenest superyachts ever built, Feadship’s Obsidian, has been delivered to her undisclosed owner. While most ships brag about beauty, brawn, and being a behemoth, Obsidian garners accolades with “net zero” claims. The 285 feet hybrid superyacht seems to be the boat of the future from the Dutch shipyard. It has successfully completed its maiden voyage boasting an array of avant-garde design elements.

What sets this ship apart from its predecessors are second-generation biodiesel generators that considerably reduce carbon emissions by a whopping 90 percent compared to conventional fuel-consuming yachts.

The eco-conscious owner wanted it no other way. In fact, he desired a vessel so efficient it would leave Feadship’s first hybrid yacht, Savannah, behind, and Obsidian Yacht does the needful. Upping the coolness quotient of the luxury superyacht is an Aqua Lounge that becomes the eyes to explore the underwater world with large windows below sea level. The asymmetrical atrium staircase welcomes guests into the lower deck dining saloon, where the soul feeds on one-of-a-kind terrace views just above sea level. Obsidian offers a dining experience unlike any other superyacht; one might just forget about hunger and revel in the vistas.

Up to twelve guests have the time of their life while being serviced by a crew of twenty-seven. Among several noteworthy features of the Obsidian is an observation lounge with double curved glass floor-to-ceiling windows. These sprawling views are enjoyed even from the main deck, packed with engineered glass throughout.

The Feadship ground-breaker boasts fold-out balconies and a spacious beach club area that extends towards the open sea. It is also impressing industry experts owing to the louvered aft deck carbon fiber overhangs attached to the aluminum superstructure that eliminate pillars, thus considerably reducing weight.

The boat lives up to its brief of being zero-emission and has a 1,000-volt system making it fully powered by electricity. Obsidian cruises for 35 nautical miles at 10 knots on batteries alone. “There are so many points of energy savings integrated on this yacht that it is hard to count,” said project manager Mark Jansen to Boat International. This next-generation yacht is setting a high benchmark for all future yacht builders and owners, but one that’s worth following.

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84m Feadship superyacht OBSIDIAN (ex Project 710) ready for sea trials

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Written by Rachel Kelly

Superyacht OBSIDIAN (ex. Project 710) is on the move from the Koninklijke De Vries facility in Alsmeer to Rotterdam for her upcoming sea trials. The 84.2m (276’3”) Feadship yacht began construction in 2020 and is a collaboration between Casco & Sectiebouw Rotterdam (CSR), De Voogt Naval Architects and RWD with Monk Design.

Luxury yacht OBSIDIAN | image https://www.instagram.com/dronepilot_lion

The sturdy superstructure is softened with elegantly curved architecture plus an accentuated plumb bow. A selection of fold out balconies and terraces plus expanses of glass at the stern and bow create a seamless connection with the ocean including a beach club, aqua lounge and sea level dining terrace.

Superyacht OBSIDIAN | image https://www.instagram.com/dronepilot_lion

Luxury yacht OBSIDIAN is the first in a new generation of Feadship yachts designed to reduce carbon emissions with innovations including weight control, advanced electric propulsion and generators run on HVO biodiesel fuel.

We look forward to sharing details about her designer interior and features once she is running.

Please contact CharterWorld - the luxury yacht charter specialist - for more on superyacht news item "84m Feadship superyacht OBSIDIAN (ex Project 710) ready for sea trials".

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Carbon reduction and environmental impact: Feadship delivers 84m yacht Obsidian

The goal is producing carbon-neutral superyachts by 2030: the recently built 84.20-metre  Obsidian  is the first of Feadship’s new generation of large yachts furthering carbon reduction through hulls optimised at cruising speed instead of top speed, weight control, advancements in electric propulsion, and the ability to run engines on non-fossil diesel fuel called HVO. In fact, the yacht’s trials were conducted with the generators running on this second-generation biofuel, reducing carbon emissions by 90% compared to yachts operating on fossil fuels.

The brief for the yacht was to be more energy efficient and emit less carbon than Feadship’s ground-breaking hybrid yacht,  Savannah , which launched in 2015. Reducing the environmental impact by more than 30% would have been a tall order in any case, but the entire 12-month design period for  Obsidian  occurred at the height of a global pandemic. With Covid-19 lockdowns, none of the designers, engineers, or other parties were able to collaborate in person.

Working in parallel, Bram Jongepier, Senior Designer at Feadship De Voogt Naval Architects, developed a sustainability index, providing a great deal of guidance on how all of a yacht’s components and operations contribute to its carbon profile and environmental impact.

Reducing CO2 emissions is a top priority, but Feadship goes even further by addressing the overall environmental impact of its vessels. The emissions of nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide (NOx), particulate matter, hydrocarbons, and the impact of building materials like steel, aluminium, fairing compounds, antifouling, teak, interior finishing, and more, are under scrutiny. This, together with CO2 emissions, is what we call environmental impact , which is calculated using life cycle assessments (LCA).

Yacht Environmental Transparency Index – Jongepier’s work became known as YETI , the Yacht Environmental Transparency Index. Operating on the philosophy that one cannot control what one cannot measure, the algorithms describing the environmental impact of CO2, NOx, particulate matter, shore power, and fuel production have been made freely available by Feadship to the signatories of the Water Revolution Foundation, a yachting industry association dedicated to driving sustainability in the superyacht industry through collaboration and innovation. This led to a Joint Industry Project (JIP) under the flag of the Water Revolution Foundation with twenty major partners in the yachting industry.

The YETI JIP produced a tool which, with data augmented now by other partners like engine manufacturers, predicts the environmental impact of a standardized operational year in the yacht’s lifecycle. Jongepier estimates that YETI effectively captures 90% of the total lifecycle of a yacht and each new build helps gather more data. It is estimated that  Obsidian  will operate with 27% less total environmental impact than a yacht of similar size launched only five years ago if run on fossil fuel, and 60% less when using HVO.

For  Obsidian , the first step was building on innovation from the award-winning  Savannah . Using Feadship’s Advanced Electrical Drive (FAED) program for diesel-electric hybrid power,  Obsidian  has 4.5 times more electrical storage capacity than our first hybrid yacht,  Savannah . She has no drive shafts and no rudders, preventing added drag caused by these appendages. Propulsion and steering are supplied by a pair of Veth contra-rotating thrusters that deliver both functions. Veth’s experience with compact units for ships operating on rivers was seen as a perfect fit for a yacht specified for a relatively shallow draft. Feadship and Veth collaborated on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis of the shapes of the drive legs and the propellors to maximize efficiency and minimize vibration, dampening vibration being another key component of the brief.

Powering it all is a 4.5 MWh battery bank that is charged by four generators — two large and two small, custom, variable speed units based on tweaked CatC32 engines with permanent magnet alternators that deliver power as needed. Where  Savannah  and  Lonian  – which launched in 2018 – operated on 560 volts, the DC system on  Obsidian  is a staggering 1,000-volt system because the yacht is fully powered by electricity. A total of 560 battery modules are housed in a special chilled room amidships on the tank deck, revealing another benefit of the hybrid system: The components no longer need to be adjacent. The thrusters are in the best location for steering and water flow, while the generators and their exhaust systems, batteries, and electrical switchboard are located elsewhere for optimal weight distribution and crew access.  Obsidian  should be able to cruise for 35 nm at 10 knots on batteries alone. At anchor, the batteries will provide silent operation for 10-15 hours.

Fuel savings – Advanced propulsion alone, however, would not result in the level of fuel savings required. When analysing  Obsidian  using the YETI tool, it revealed that about 60% of the energy consumed goes simply to powering the onboard lifestyle – the air conditioning, heating, hot water, lighting, cooking, entertainment electronics, pools, and laundry service. Reducing the energy needed to provide for the yacht’s “hotel” load became the target.

Several major innovations adapted for  Obsidian  address these target areas through peak load shaving and reducing HVAC demand through the computerized management of cooling guest and crew zones. But since making and using energy creates heat, capturing unwanted or “waste” heat to be used for other purposes became a key focus. Out of every 100kW of energy created by fossil fuel combustion in a typical internal combustion engine, only 35 to 40% is effective mechanical energy, with the rest being heat, usually discarded overboard with the water-cooling system and in the exhaust gasses. Feadship’s design and engineering team began by developing a much more comprehensive system than simply using generator cooling water to heat a swimming pool, a process that has become standard for many superyacht builders.

Considering that 25% of that “hotel” energy demand is about making heat, everything that needed heat was identified. The largest consumer was air conditioning.

The reason being that to sufficiently dehumidify the surrounding sea air, the HVAC system needs to cool incoming fresh air to about 7 degrees Celsius, but then, to keep the interior from feeling like a meat locker, heating units must warm the air to the desired temperature for each room.

Many points of energy savings – Conventional installations typically reheat with an electric heating element, but  Obsidian  uses waste heat for that purpose. Not only is waste heat captured from the generators, but also from the AC chillers themselves. This is not just free energy, but it is essentially carbon-free energy because it reuses incidental heat generated by another function. “There are so many points of energy savings integrated on this yacht that it is hard to count,” said Project Manager Mark Jansen.

Urged to explore all avenues, Feadship’s engineers introduced an innovative heat pump system to pull heat from various sources, including ambient sea water. Using a heat pump, which transports thermal energy (heat) from one place to another, is five times more efficient than simply making heat with a regular electrical heating coil, according to Jongepier.

An onboard computer system helps to choose seamlessly the appropriate combination of sources. This translates into the following operational modes:

• In harbour at normal sea temperatures plugged into shore power: Heat is provided by AC compressor waste heat, augmented by the heat pump if necessary.
• At anchor at normal sea temperature, operating on battery power: Heat provided by AC compressor waste heat, augmented by heat pump if necessary.
• Sailing, at anchor or in harbour at normal sea temperature with generators in operation: All necessary heat provided by generator waste heat.

Because the path to carbon-neutral superyachts goes far beyond a single solution,  Obsidian  also involved fresh approaches to the hull form. De Voogt’s naval architects created the low, slim hull, optimized at cruising speed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with the final form being made into a model tested in a towing tank. Complex engineering for balance and weight reduction includes new applications for carbon fibre. The louvered aft deck overhangs, for example, are all carbon fibre attached to the aluminium superstructure and require no support pillars. This weight benefit also offered new deck layout possibilities.

For the first time in many years, Feadship is delivering a yacht with a single level engine room , which gave her designers considerably more freedom in creating the interior layout. It also lends more space for guest accommodation and features a total of seven staterooms. According to Jansen, the volume of this 84-metre yacht is typical of that on 100-metre Feadships.

The layout is just as bold and modern as the exterior profile would suggest. Both the exterior styling and interior design are by the British firm RWD, in collaboration with MONK Design .

There are surprising destination spaces such as an asymmetrical atrium staircase leading to a lower deck dining saloon with an entire wall that opens to provide a terrace view just 75 cm above sea level.

Near the stern is an Aqua Lounge where massive windows below water level offer a unique view from the nearby gym. The Aqua Lounge can also function as a cinema and even a classroom.

From decks to the interior, the design leitmotif is all about surprise – most of the corridors and many of the rooms, as well as all of the al fresco living spaces, are not oriented on a fore and aft or athwartships axis. In fact, except for staterooms, none of the interior rooms have any 90-degree angles. A hidden staircase to a study and a sunken lounge on the main deck are just two more of the unexpected interior elements. But the biggest surprise involves the use of submarine anchors. Eliminating the need for a mooring deck forward allows  Obsidian  to feature a fantastic interior bow observation lounge with double curved glass floor-to-ceiling windows. Access is via a main deck corridor from the guest accommodation area through the tender garage to this hidden gem.

In keeping with the carbon reduction theme, both of the yacht’s primary tenders are electric-powered and custom made by Tenderworks. Four fast charging stations installed by the yard will allow them to be charged in the water or in the tender garage.

After the sea trials it turned out that  Obsidian  is even more efficient than previously calculated.

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The World’s First Hydrogen-Powered Superyacht Sets Sail

By Katherine McLaughlin

Traveling the deep blue just got a lot greener. Feadship, a Dutch shipyard, just launched what it claims is the world’s first hydrogen-powered superyacht. Dubbed Project 821, the 290-foot boat left the company’s Amsterdam shipyard on May 4, a monumental achievement following years of yacht concepts touted with the eco-friendly technology . “The aim has been to develop a new, clean technology not just for this project, but for the world,” said Jan-Bart Verkuyl, Feadship director and CEO of Royal Van Lent, in a statement.

RWD designed both the exterior and interior.

Designing and developing Project 821 was a five-year undertaking and part of the Feadship’s research into fossil-free fuel options for boats. The ship is partly powered by hydrogen fuel cells, which generate power through a chemical reaction rather than combustion. Many cars make use of this technology, but this is a first for superyachts. “The value of the research as well the development of class and flag safety regulations for an entirely new type of energy generation is an advancement we are proud to have made available to all,” Verkuyl added.

The hydrogen-powered superyacht was designed by RWD , a firm located in Hampshire, England. The owner’s deck is inspired by a luxury apartment, and features two bedrooms, twin bathrooms and dressing rooms, a gym, two offices, and a living room. On the lower deck, bookshelves wrap around a statement-making staircase in addition to a number of niches designed for small moments, such as board games or enjoying a cup of coffee. This is in addition to a library, stateroom, and sea terrace dining room. The interiors make use of a natural and light color palette crafted from organic materials such as leather, marble , and rattan .

Project 821 showcases a number of green advancements to make yachting more eco-friendly.

“RWD is immensely proud to have been involved in such a forward-thinking project,” Charlie Baker, a director at RWD, said. “We hope it inspires other projects to think differently in the future.”

Hydrogen requires heavy-duty storage tanks, which add significant weight to the boat and demand additional space. Though Project 821 is equipped to hold four tons of hydrogen and 16 fuel cells, it is not enough to fully power the vessel for long journeys. In cases where green energy alone is not enough, the boat is also fashioned with two generators. These combusts hydrotreated vegetable oil, which is a diesel-like fuel but doesn’t require fossil resources.

The boat is currently for sale through Edmiston, a superyacht sale and charter firm. “The brief was to build the greenest and most environmentally advanced yacht ever built, without compromise. It was a huge challenge, but one that the team has embraced and delivered on,” Jamie Edmiston, CEO of Edmiston, added. “The yacht we see today, designed by RWD and built by Feadship, is without doubt the best yacht ever built.”

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By Sydney Gore

By Will Porter

feadship brings out the world’s first hydrogen fuel-cell superyacht, project 821

Meet project 821, the world’s first hydrogen fuel-cell superyacht.

Yacht builder Feadship recently unveiled what may be the world’s first hydrogen fuel-cell superyacht , Project 821. It is a colossal water vehicle with a size of 118.80 meters, all running on hydrogen, which is a lightweight, ‘puffy’ substance. When hydrogen is processed in a fuel cell, the by-products are electricity and water in the form of steam. For a superyacht, it may be able to carry a lot of power without adding too much weight. The only catch, one that the Feadship team had to confront, was that hydrogen needs to be stored in an extremely cold container to keep it from taking up too much space as a gas. To do this, Feadship had to make Project 821 a bit longer than originally planned to fit a four-meter storage tank, hence its 118.80-meter size. 

Feadship creates custom four-meter hydrogen storage tank

Feadship’s custom four-meter storage tank takes up quite a lot of space, eight to ten times more than regular diesel fuel would, even though the hydrogen itself is lighter. On the upside, the fuel cells on the Project 821 superyacht can also run on methanol, which is a liquid fuel that’s easier to store, a cleaner version of gasoline. Methanol doesn’t need to be super cold, so it might take up less space on the superyacht. At the moment, future innovations on fuel cells and onboard reforming of methanol to hydrogen are on the near horizon for Feadship, who’s focusing more on the current hydrogen technology they have in front of them.

superyacht project 821 can store less energy

In terms of energy storage, superyacht Project 821 stores less energy, around 543 kW hours, compared to a similar-sized yacht of Feadship named Savannah, which uses diesel (1 megawatt hour). The new superyacht doesn’t need as much stored energy since its hydrogen fuel cells can continuously generate power while it is running. Think of it as having a refillable generator onboard, boosting the superyacht’s power instead of relying only on a battery.In this way, the hydrogen-run Project 821 eliminates noisy engines when anchored or traveling slowly, and there’s no pollution when it cruises either. 

The superyacht Project 821 also has its own heat recycling system, which captures the waste heat from the engine—in this case, the fuel cells—and uses it for heating the pool, jacuzzi, and steam room on board, keeping the air at a moderate temperature in the guest areas, warming the towel bars and bathroom floors, and curtails the use of separate heaters to power up these amenities.

Feadship also installs a smart air conditioning system which automatically adjusts its temperature based on occupancy so that if nobody’s in a room, it won’t waste energy cooling it. The British RWD Studio worked on the entire look of the hydrogen-run Project 821, including the exterior, general arrangement, and all the décor inside. 

Coastal vibe is the theme the design attempts to evoke, the feeling of being near the beach or ocean while in a state of luxury. Light and airy colors and interior furnishings may help bring these up, starting with the use of light colors like white, beige, and cream for the walls, furniture, and fabrics. This sense of openness and bigger space is accompanied by textured fabrics and leathers, as well as a variety of natural materials.

These include marble, rattan, eucalyptus wood, and limed oak, a light-colored wood, all of which run throughout the interior of the superyacht Project 821. The design firm also retained the shapes of certain design elements on different floors, such as door trim features and hallway railings, to create a sense of continuity, but their use of materials vary, so that the guests can have the feeling of being in a new area.

The hydrogen-run superyacht is designed for families, with the top deck resembling a whole apartment on its own. It has two bedrooms with separate bathrooms and closets, a gym,a  pantry, two offices, each with a fireplace for working or relaxing, and a living room. There’s a walkaround deck with shaded areas at the front and back for lounging and enjoying the outdoors, and a jacuzzi in the front for a scenic soak.

Since Project 821 is wide, the hallways inside the superyacht are spacious to make walking around easy, allowing large side decks outside as well where guests can walk side-by-side. The superyacht has a  private access point for the owners that goes all the way down to the lower deck, which features a staircase with built-in bookshelves and display areas and an elevator for easy access between decks. 

On each floor, dedicated areas await guests, such as a coffee corner and a games area on the bridge deck, a library on the main deck, and a private dining room with a balcony and a connected bedroom on the lower deck. Feadship says Project 821 is the biggest superyacht ever built in the Netherlands, beating out its own sibling, Launchpad.

Even though they’re similar in length, Project 821 has 30 percent more space inside and has five floors above the water and two floors below, with the owner’s deck being as high as a 12-story building. As of publishing the story, Project 821 is being offered for sale by Edmiston.

the superyacht’s hydrogen fuel cells can continuously generate power while it is cruising

Feadship had to make Project 821 a bit longer than originally planned to fit the storage tank

project info:

name: Project 821

manufacturer: Feadship

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Welcome aboard the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell superyacht

'Project 821' is an enticing statement piece for the aspiring, eco-conscious Bond villain.

By Andrew Paul | Published May 7, 2024 11:13 AM EDT

• Environment

Superyachts are notoriously dirty luxury toys , with a single billionaire’s boat emitting as much as 7,020 tons of CO2 per year. And while it’s unlikely uber-wealthy shoppers are going to forgo from their statement vessels anytime soon, at the very least there’s now a chance to make superyachts greener. That’s the idea behind the new Project 821 , billed as the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell superyacht.

Announced over the weekend by Danish shipyard cooperative Feadship, Project 821 arrives following five years of design and construction. Measuring a massive 260-feet-long, the zero-diesel boat reportedly sails shorter distances than standard superyachts on the market, but still operates its hotel load and amenities using completely emissionless green hydrogen power.

Hydrogen cells generate power by turning extremely lightweight liquid hydrogen into electricity stored in lithium-ion batteries. But unlike fossil fuel engines’ noxious smoke and other pollutants, hydrogen cells only emit harmless water vapor. The technology remained cost-prohibitive and logistically challenging for years, but recent advancements have allowed designers to start integrating the green alternative into cars , planes , and boats .

There are still hurdles, however. Although lightweight, liquid hydrogen must be housed in massive, double-walled -423.4 degrees Fahrenheit cryogenic storage tanks within a dedicated section of the vessel. According to Feadship , liquid hydrogen requires 8-10 times more storage space for the same amount of energy created by diesel fuel. That—along with 16 fuel cells, a switchboard connection for the DC electrical grid, and water vapor emission vent stacks—necessitated adding an extra 13-feet to the vessel’s original specifications. But these size requirements ironically makes superyachts such as Project 821 arguably ideal for hydrogen fuel cell integration.

And it certainly sounds like Project 821 fulfills the “superyacht” prerequisites, with five decks above the waterline and two below it. The 14 balconies and seven fold-out platforms also house a pool, Jacuzzi, steam room, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, gym, pantry, fireplace-equipped offices, living room, library, and a full walkaround deck.

Such luxuries, however, will need to remain relatively close-to-harbor for the time being. Project 821 still isn’t capable of generating and storing enough power to embark on lengthy crossings, but it can handle an “entire week’s worth of silent operation at anchor or [briefly] navigating emission-free at 10 knots while leaving harbors or cruising in protected marine zones,” according to Feadship.

[Related: This liquid hydrogen-powered plane successfully completed its first test flights .]

“We have now shown that cryogenic storage of liquified hydrogen in the interior of a superyacht is a viable solution,” Feadship Director and Royal Van Lent Shipyard CEO Jan-Bart Verkuyl said in the recent announcement, adding that “additional fuel cell innovations… are on the near horizon.”

Of course, the greenest solution remains completely divesting from ostentatious, multimillion-dollar vanity flotillas before rising sea levels (and angry orcas ) overwhelm even the wealthiest billionaires’ harbors. But it’s at least somewhat nice to see a new eco-friendly advancement on the market—even if it still looks like a Bond villain’s getaway vehicle.

Andrew Paul is Popular Science's staff writer covering tech news. Previously, he was a regular contributor to The A.V. Club and Input, and has had recent work also featured by Rolling Stone, Fangoria, GQ, Slate, NBC, as well as McSweeney's Internet Tendency. He lives outside Indianapolis.

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