Part IV of the findings from this inimitable event, held earlier this year in Bergen, Norway, are presented here ...

Earlier this year, we hosted the second edition of Innorvation ’26, our unique event in Norway. This time it was based in the maritime hub of Bergen, where DNV has a maritime R&D centre, Corvus has its battery-manufacturing centre and Norwegian Hull Club has its headquarters and situation room, all of which formed a key part of the experience.

In the countdown to Innorvation ‘26, we asked all of the VIP delegates to ask themselves the wide-open question ‘What if...?’ By the time we arrived in Bergen the diverse array of topics and questions raised gave us confidence that this valuable gathering of designers, naval architects, shipyard technical experts, yacht managers, experienced captains, environmental thinkers, project managers and owners’ reps would generate some dynamic and interesting ideas.

The following list is a sample of these pre-Innorvation What ifs..?, all of which are designed to trigger future conversations and opinion pieces in The Superyacht Report or SuperyachtNews.com in the future:

What if… we start looking at alternatives to traditional yacht paint? We can't justify the environmental impact of a full cycle of yacht paint for the long run.

What if… nuclear energy becomes so inexpensive that we will end up with an energy abundance?

What if…. fossil fuels were banned as means of propulsion on superyachts from 2030?

What if… speed limits were to be made obligatory in local jurisdictions and or territorial waters, thereby enforcing a reduction in energy consumption?

What if… science and technology are not the limiting factors in the adoption of meaningful innovation, but the invisible constraints shaping how we collaborate within commercial reality are. What would need to change to unlock progress at scale in the maritime sector?

What if… yachts were built to accommodate the right number of crew to match the expectations of owners, management and maintenance, all within MLC’s HoR?

What if… we look past energy and efficiency, what else can we innovate and improve – could it be the ecosystem, employment, enjoyment, (on-board) environment, experience etc?

What if… we reframed every client request, workshop problem and engineering road block with the three words: “How might we…” To start off with, how might we start looking at our industry innovations in a more holistic manner?

What if… the definition of luxury shifts from unlimited energy availability to a conscious use of energy, so we can fully enjoy what matters today without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same?

What if… next-generation solid-state battery density advances so rapidly by 2030 that the total system-volume of a battery powertrain undercuts a green methanol set-up?

The above sample list of What ifs…? demonstrated the intellect and creativity of those delegates due to attend Innorvation ’26, and rather than dig into these various individual questions during the event, we decided instead to take everyone on a unique journey by cable car to Bergen’s highest point, Mount Ulriken. Once at the top of the mountain, after a relaxed lunch and debrief, we split the group into very diverse teams and sent them off across the rocks in the stunning Norwegian blue sky and asked them to spend a few hours discussing and developing a unique What If..? with the “How Might We..?” strategy to add to the brainstorm, all under the strategic theme of Energy and Efficiency.

The following is Part IV of a synopsis of the various ideas and innovations that came out of the team’s literal blue-sky thinking.

Just imagine if we could go back to the halcyon days of yachting, with purity in design and using materials that don’t cost the earth, financially and literally, simple areas for crew to live in without big maintenance demands. If we focus on the Coco Chanel approach: what have I got and take one piece off – “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory”, we remove the complex functionality that is superfluous to the enjoyment of a yacht and apply the ‘less is more’ philosophy.

As Espen Øino (team leader) explained, ‘back to basics’ is first of all a philosophical topic; in the strictest possible terms, what is the minimum we need materially speaking, to enjoy our time on the water? I have always been telling whoever wants to listen that it is being on the water that is important – the type and size of craft is secondary. Above is a picture I took some years ago at the Borgo in Naples, Italy, when leaving for Capri in my little boat. Look at the expression on the faces of the people in the little rowing boats they are renting for the day for a very modest sum of money; they were probably having more fun than many superyacht owners!

To me this picture tells it all; the joy of yachting is not proportional to the size and complexity of the yacht and this is something we often overlook.

• Basic is the opposite of complex.

• Complexity is not only a cost driver, it is also very often at the origin of many frustrations among both crew and guests on board yachts, causing unhappiness and bad vibes.

• Basic can also be interpreted as the opposite of ostentation. Today many yachts are designed and built to standards which are not fit for purpose, often with very ostentatious interiors and exteriors. We should try to dissociate yachting and ostentation: the latter is not needed to have a good time on the water. A successful yachting experience should be defined by the functionalities and suitability the yacht has to offer, not just subjective aesthetic considerations, which is what most media and sales brochures are looking to highlight.

• I believe our industry would benefit tremendously if we somehow could turn the clock back a bit and be inspired by the much simpler and often more functional yachts of the past.

This is perhaps the most exciting What If, and one that I feel everyone in the industry would benefit from, especially the owners.

Parts I, I and III have already been published and Parts V and VI will appear in the coming few days.

You can watch the video of this year’s event here, and if you’d like to join INNORVATION’27, somewhere in Norway, visit www.innorvation26.com and register your name.

Click here to become part of The Superyacht Group community, and join us in our mission to make this industry accessible to all, and prosperous for the long-term. We are offering access to the superyacht industry’s most comprehensive and longstanding archive of business-critical information, as well as a comprehensive, real-time superyacht fleet database, for just £10 per month, because we are One Industry with One Mission. Sign up here.