2025 Yachting Innovation Award Winner: Sanlorenzo

Most people had never heard of green methanol when Sanlorenzo started thinking about it in 2019. At first, the team’s conversations were in-house. But in 2020, when the whole rest of the world was figuring out how to deal with the pandemic,  Sanlorenzo was making contact with Siemens Energy, which had caught the yachtbuilder’s attention by developing hydrogen fuel cells for Italian submarines. By 2021, there was a co-funded project that Siemens Energy led with Sanlorenzo as a partner. The goal was to launch a yacht whose onboard systems could transform green methanol into hydrogen and then into electrical energy to power all the hotel systems without storing hydrogen on board.

The 50Steel Almax launched in summer 2024, right on the big-picture schedule. And then throughout 2025, this groundbreaking, 164-foot yacht remained the talk of the global yachting community.

“Looking back, the project has been a real success—not only in terms of technical feasibility, but also in demonstrating the potential of green methanol as a cornerstone of sustainable energy transition,” says Massimo Perotti, president and CEO of Sanlorenzo Group.

It’s also one of numerous reasons Sanlorenzo is the winner of Yachting’s 2025 Innovation Award. While many yachtbuilders are talking about the need to make strides in eco-conscious cruising, Sanlorenzo is actually doing it, in multiple ways at once.

Building Almax is just one of numerous initiatives that Sanlorenzo Group has taken to execute on the idea of sustainable cruising. Its Bluegame brand, during the most recent challenge for the America’s Cup, created the BGH-HSV, a hydrogen-powered chase boat capable of reaching serious speed with zero emissions. It foils at 50 knots and has a range of 180 miles, with the boat pretty much flying across the water’s surface. “The BGH-HSV is the result of a profound understanding of the sea itself—a dialogue between innovation and nature that has shaped its very concept,” Perotti says.

And as impressive as it was, the BGH-HSV was just a first step down a longer road of working to bring that technology to the broader yachting marketplace, too. Bluegame next introduced a multihull range called the BGF. Its first model, the BGF45, has a foil-assisted hull. “The innovative fixed foil system, positioned between the twin hulls, reduces drag and enhances speed, stability and fuel efficiency up to 30 percent, setting new standards for sustainable high-performance cruising,” Perotti says.

Sanlorenzo Group is also making strides in the area of eco-friendly fuel. The company is using the renewable diesel fuel known as HVO when conducting sea trials and delivering yachts to owners. “This renewable diesel fuel is produced from regenerated oils or animal and vegetable fats, making it a carbon-neutral fuel,” Perotti says. “The carbon dioxide emitted during combustion is equivalent to the carbon dioxide captured from waste materials, resulting in a net-zero carbon-dioxide balance.” The company says replacing traditional diesel with HVO can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 90 percent throughout the product’s entire life cycle.

Even on sailboats—which are inherently greener than motoryachts—Sanlorenzo Group is making strides. The company’s Nautor Swan brand advanced propulsion technology by introducing scalable dual-energy systems across its range: from the Swan 51, equipped with Oceanvolt technology, to the Swan 88 that has Torqeedo’s Deep Blue system, and up to the Swan 128, powered by a custom Danfoss hybrid platform. “These advanced architectures integrate electric motors, high-voltage lithium battery banks and variable-speed diesel generators, all managed by an intelligent propulsion control system,” Perotti says. “This configuration enables multiple operating modes—from silent, all-electric cruising to hybrid or range-extender setups—optimizing efficiency, performance and comfort in every condition.”

All of these efforts combined fall under what Sanlorenzo Group calls its “Road to 2030,” an effort to reduce the environmental impact of companywide activity through strategic agreements with major global players in energy and propulsion production. Also part of the effort is something the company came up with in 2021: the creation of the Sanlorenzo Foundation. Perotti says it’s an initiative that comes from the heart of his family’s desire to give back to the sea what the sea has given to them.

“The Foundation’s mission is clear and powerful: to support and enhance the communities whose identity is rooted in the sea, the wind and life on the water—those of Italy’s smaller islands,” Perotti says. “These are small lands suspended in blue, where beauty often meets fragility, and where tradition risks fading away without a sustainable future. It is precisely there that the Foundation seeks to make a difference, through initiatives designed to improve quality of life, strengthen economic and social opportunities, and, above all, empower the new generations so that they can stay, innovate and create value in the very places where they were born.”

What the Sanlorenzo Group is doing is more than eco-talk. It’s also more than gimmicks to sell more yachts to people who care about the environment. This company, across its brands, is executing on a core idea of driving change. And it is succeeding with all kinds of innovations that touch every part of the yachting experience, without compromising anything that makes cruising so wonderful in the first place.

How It Works

On Almax, green methanol transforms into hydrogen and then into electrical energy to power the yacht’s hotel systems. The yacht generates electrical energy up to a maximum of 100 kW when propulsion engines and diesel generators are off.

What’s Next

Green-methanol technology is now figured out, but the challenge remains that green methanol is not widely available. That’s why Sanlorenzo Group is setting a broader launch of this idea for later in this decade, when the required surrounding infrastructure could be more widely available.

Performance

The Swan 88 can cruise at more than 11 knots in full-electric mode, while under sail, its hydrogeneration system can deliver up to 10 kW of recharging power, covering all onboard energy needs, and reducing fuel consumption and emissions. There also are lower vibration levels and reduced operating costs for yacht owners.

The Future

“Dual longer propulsion is no longer a prototype,” Perotti says. “It’s a proven, flexible solution that scales across different yacht sizes. Looking ahead, the focus shifts to enhanced battery capacity and smarter system integration, paving the way for hydrogen-ready and fully electric yachts. The goal remains clear: greener sailing, with no compromise on comfort or performance.”

Still Stylish

The eco-conscious fuel system aboard the 50Steel Almax gets a lot of attention, but it’s equally important to note that Sanlorenzo achieved that technological advancement without compromising on yacht owners’ expectations for comfort aboard. Almax also has large internal volumes and comfortable outdoor spaces, all in a yacht that’s under 500 gross tons.

The Specs

Almax accommodates 10 guests with additional quarters for nine crew. Draft at full load is 9 feet, 8 inches. Top speed is 16 knots. But these are just the basics: Sanlorenzo says it will work with owners on future builds to accommodate their tastes, habits and style. The goal, in the end, is to create a tailor-made superyacht.

Take the next step: sanlorenzoyacht.com

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