Every so often a Superyacht design concept is released that ignores contemporary trends and makes the world sit up an notice. The Berserker is one such, an 88m yacht, that is a hub of activity, work of art, technological marvel and an energy powerhouse.
She is designed to offer unrivalled interior space within its dramatic and elegant superstructure as well as offering the ultimate in performance, economy, stability and durability.
The hull is designed for stability first and allows for smoother, safer and quieter sailing. The integral philosophy running through Berserker’s design elements is to create a yacht that excels in every area technically whilst blending timeless styling into the package.
This yacht provides vast volume for a masterpiece interior and has been sculpted to increase functionality rather than to adhere to styling of the moment.
The yacht has been planned to make use of advanced air independence propulsion systems found in non nuclear submarines, a relatively new technology which has been proven in marine applications and is perfectly placed to be the power source of choice in the future for super yachts.
She will use a mix of traditional diesel engines to give it the flexibility of having conventional diesel with lead acid for power if needed, taking into account that owners will likely want to visit locations where only diesel is available.
The designers believe that proton exchange membranes will give the yacht real capability. Hydrogen stored in cylinders reacts with liquid Oxygen fuelling two cells each with 120 kW power.
With 300 kW available Berserker has the potential to cruise for two weeks. Fuel cells are totally silent in operation and offer huge noise and vibration reductions to the vessel meaning the level of comfort and luxury is superior to any yacht currently on the market.
Taking away vibration and noise increases the longevity of the vessel and the hull of the yacht letting her remain at sea for longer without refit than any contemporary super yacht.
The silent cruising ability for 12 to 14 days is a massive advantage for any owner or captain and is current technology not a down the road development of an idea.
Siemens has produced advanced air independence propulsion for the German and Italian Navies successfully for twenty years and their capability can be applied for luxury sailing in all parts of the world perfectly.
Estimated distance using the PEM propulsion is around 3000 nm however this is variable depending on weight on board and the speed of the cruise, this estimate being around 6 knots with two transit journeys at 12 knots each