As part of the Nobel Week events at Nobel House in Sanremo, Italian boatbuilder, Amer Yachts, presented Volvo Penta with the results of an independent study on underwater noise. Reducing underwater noise is a key sustainability focus for Volvo Penta and the results of this study will help inform future work.
Volvo Penta recently announced that it was accelerating its sustainability aims in line with the Volvo Group’s new ambitions to be a net-zero emissions company by 2050, at the latest. The Volvo Group has now also committed to the Science-Based Target Initiative (SBTI). To support these objectives Volvo Penta is accelerating its efforts to reach zero emissions and be a leader in sustainable power solutions. One of the focus areas in the Volvo Penta sustainability plan is underwater noise – which has adverse effects on marine life, particularly marine mammals.
Amer Yachts and Volvo Penta have been close partners for many years. Both companies have shared sustainability values and they have worked together to realize them. Recently, Cetena, an Italian research company in the maritime sector, conducted a study on noise pollution on behalf of Amer Yachts. The study analyzed the underwater noise generated by Amer 94 and Amer 100 while navigating – both equipped with Volvo Penta Inboard Performace System (IPS). Barbara Amerio, owner of Amer Yachts, presented the results as a “gift for the future” to Andrea Piccione, Volvo Penta Sales Manager for Italy. The ceremony highlighted the combined effort of both companies’ journey into sustainable yachting.
“Sustainability is important to our philosophy and we have been working hard to bring a change in the yachting industry for several years as we know that yacht-builders are important players in changing customers’ attitudes,” says Barbara.
Learning together
The results from Amer’s noise study are a great addition to Volvo Penta’s ongoing research. Currently, Volvo Penta is undertaking an advanced engineering project which includes developing a testing method for measuring underwater noise as well as running noise tests themselves to understand the causes of different noise sources.
“It’s great to see customers like Amer leading the industry towards sustainability,” says Johan Inden, head of the marine segment at Volvo Penta. “The results of the investigation will contribute in a great way to our research and we want to continue in this collaborative mindset to learn together.”
A history of collaboration
Back in 2018, Amer and Volvo Penta joined forced to create the Amer 94 – the first sustainable superyacht of its kind. The two companies held a launch event that focused on conservation – with speakers such as Sabina Airoldi, a marine biologist at the Tethys Research Institute, as well as world-renowned yachtswomen and Turn the Tide on Plastic spokesperson Dee Caffari. The event was a success and drew attention to topics such as citizen science, plastic pollution, and high-speed marine mammal collisions – highlighting the advantages of the slow controlled maneuverability of Volvo Penta’s IPS.
“We want to keep going forward, and the test to continually be more sustainable as a company and industry is a challenge we set ourselves. Our efforts go so much further when we work collaboratively and we look forward to continuing to do so,” concludes Amerio.
