Introducing Royal Huisman’s Aera

Royal Huisman, in 2024, once again proved that it is not a shipyard content to rest on its laurels. The Dutch masters, working with Rondal and Huisfit by Royal Huisman, set a goal of new sustainability benchmarks for the entire yachting industry with Project Tidal Shift. The initiative involved thinking in different ways about new builds as well as refits, and sought to include clients, suppliers and stakeholders of all kinds. The idea was to take solutions seen on yachts like Ethereal, Elfje, Juliet, Foftein and Sarissa and apply them as part of a holistic approach to integrating sustainability into every level of business.

As it turns out, designer Cor D. Rover and Artemis Technologies thought Project Tidal Shift was a good idea, too. They worked with Royal Huisman to create the concept yacht shown at left, called Aera. Royal Huisman describes Aera as “a totally new kind of superyacht” that has significant efficiencies, automated systems that make sailing easier and the benefits of a motoryacht with the simultaneous ability to limit emissions to near zero by sailing.

This 164-foot concept yacht, which comes in at less than 500 gross tons, brings the kinds of hyper-efficient wing sails seen on yachts in the America’s Cup to the world of superyachts. Artemis Technologies developed the wing sail, which is unstayed, similar to the Dynarigs on the Maltese Falcon and Black Pearl. Unlike on those yachts, however, Aera’s 2,640-square-foot wing sail by Rondal is capable of rotating 360 degrees for augmented sailing performance and to depower completely while staying upright. This system needs no sheets, blocks, furlers or winches on deck, nor captive reels taking up space below. Two electric motors housed around the mast column inside the yacht rotate the wing mast. Hydraulic cylinders control the adjustable flaps along its trailing edge to generate lift and forward momentum, or to feather it completely in a neutral position by aligning with the breeze.

“Aera represents more than technological advancement,” says Royal Huisman CEO Jan Timmerman. “It’s a complete redesign of sustainable luxury yachting that makes clean cruising irresistibly attractive to owners seeking both environmental responsibility and comfort.”

Rover designed the yacht’s asymmetrical profile atop twin hulls, providing 7,470 square feet of exterior deck space. Accommodations are for as many as 10 guests in a main-deck master stateroom and four guest staterooms belowdecks.  The yacht has three deck levels—which Royal Huisman calls “unheard of in sailing yachts”—and smart shading to reduce HVAC needs, in line with the idea of sustainability from stem to stern.

A 580 kWh battery bank can power the yacht’s entire hotel load silently for 11 hours, according to the shipyard. Rondal’s hydro-generators constantly and silently charge this battery bank underway. When the yacht is stationary and away from a marina, batteries can be topped up by a hydrogen fuel cell. Three pressurized hydrogen bottles powering the fuel cell can reportedly create enough electricity for an additional 72 hours of zero-emission operation.

With Aera, Royal Huisman and its team have embraced a tidal shift in thinking, to be sure, creating a concept that certainly stands out in the global fleet.

HVO Is Part of the Brief, Too

The 580kWh battery bank, hydro-generators and hydrogen fuel cell are only part of the eco-friendly cruising equation on this concept yacht. When the vessel is motoring or motorsailing, generators running on hydrogenated vegetable oil (which reportedly produces 89 percent less carbon emissions than diesel) power the yacht’s DC electrical grid and the retractable 500 kW azimuthing electric drive units. This is the same award-winning technology that’s aboard Royal Huisman’s 196-foot Sarissa, for charging batteries simultaneously.

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