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

TEAM 2
What if… we defined ‘luxury by example’?
At first, we threw out all sorts of ideas, discussing what other topics can make an impact, such as: reducing energy consumption / adapting design ideas. The conversation then shifted to defining the purpose of a yacht and evolved to a discussion about what luxury means to everyone.

The discussion revolved around key topics like:

• Self-sustainability, including growing your own food on board or on a shadow vessel, producing certain types of mineral water from the environment around the vessel and even having domestic animals on board, but it was decided that these were less than feasible and less than practical for the wider fleet.

• Reduction of amenities, taking the Norwegian “hytte” [a traditional Norwegian cabin or second home used for nature escapes] as an example, whereby the new focus is on tranquillity, connecting with nature and the disconnection with the world and technology, but again it was decided it was too individual and subjective for the entire fleet, although a nice idea to contemplate!

So the outcome was that ‘luxury’ is an individual perception and cannot be generalised. We cannot tell people what luxury is and what they should or should not enjoy. We can say that luxury is something that is aspirational and it is something that not all people can have, which therefore makes it desirable.
Ultimately, ‘luxury by example’ became the new definition, where the superyacht market can creatively and collectively change public perception by trying to make more sustainable solutions, make sustainable yachting desirable and leading by example ourselves. Imagine the impact of a superyacht built completely out of recycled materials and making this desirable for the next generation of clients, or revisiting the two key topics of self-sustainability and amenity reduction to make this new type of luxury more desirable. This obviously needs much more detailed discussion over a longer timeframe.

Part I has already been published and Parts III, IV, 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.