Feadship Launches 273’ Hybrid Superyacht, “Savannah”

News

January 26, 2015 10:41 am

Feadship Yachts launched their latest superyacht project on Sunday, January 25. The 83.5 meter hybrid megayacht is the largest yacht to be painted with a metallic paint system (Sea Foam metallic green). Named, Savannah, she is the first eco-friendly blend of single diesel engine, three gensets, batteries, propeller, and azimuting pioneering electro-mechanical propulsion platform, providing a 30% fuel savings. Savannah’ exterior has been created in partnership between CG Design and Feadship.

Feadship launched “Savannah,” the world’s first hybrid mega-yacht.

Her revolutionary power systems, along with the ship’s ultra-thin bow and highly advanced propeller design, give will give her owner’s one of the most efficient superyachts ever built.

The eco-friendly electro-mechanical propulsion is, of course, fantastically complex. In a nutshell, however, it features a pioneering blend of a single Wärtsilä main engine, three generators, some one million Watts of Li-ion batteries, a single central propeller shaft installation on the centreline and an in-line azimuting thruster. Combined with the yacht’s super streamlined hull shape, this means Savannah enjoys fuel economies of thirty per cent and incredible flexibility in operations and loading of the power plant.

Feadship-Savannah-Hybrid Superyacht — Some of the Savannah’s energy efficiency comes from its highly advanced propeller system.

The way one gigantic propeller is installed in front with another electrically powered prop in its slipstream has never been applied on a yacht. Another major innovation is the batteries, which provide extra speed at the top end, allow proper loading of the generators at any speed and facilitate super-quiet cruising at slow speeds without any engines turning. “The possibility to choose between diesel, diesel-electric or fully electric is truly exceptional,” says Savannah’s captain Ted McCumber. “Only Feadship engineering and the rich experience of this yard could have successfully concluded a project of such scope and vision.”

Regarding this massive project, superyacht broker Alex G. Clarke said “Having been lucky enough to preview Savannah the week before her international debut I can easily state she is truly one of the more remarkable yachts I have ever seems both cosmetically & with her advances in technology which I feel will help shape the future of the industry.”