Best Ecological Design and Operation Innovation Award, Boat International Design & Innovation Awards 2019

As lovely as she is, Volpini 2 will forever be known as the first yacht to comply with marine engine exhaust standards known as IMO Tier III. When the rule to reduce NOx emissions on vessels over 500GT was adopted, equipment to meet the pollution restriction did not exist. But Amels’ in-house engineering team led the development of a Selective Catalytic Reductions solution by subcontractors MTU, Veth, HUG and Lloyd’s Register. The system on Volpini 2 substantially exceeds mandated levels. But she is no one-trick pony. After analysing its fleet’s onboard energy usage, Amels developed a hybrid power management system with Alewijnse Marine that adjusts the balance of engines and battery power for optimal efficiency. Using two generators of different outputs, batteries for peak shaving and waste heat recovery, Amels demonstrated a potential operating saving of at least €100,000 annually. The yacht also boasts hull refinements using CFD, an insulation package for hull and superstructure plus double pane windows with a heat-reflecting film, wastewater treatment type II and bio- friendly anti-fouling paint – items which earned the yacht a Green Passport and ECO notation from Lloyd’s.

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