New Projects for Yacht Carbon Offset

Yacht Carbon Offset is the first company to purchase units from a shipping-related greenhouse gas reduction project using an advanced anti-fouling system to increase fuel efficiency, now available to yacht owners and charter guests wishing to participate in the reduction of their carbon footprint. 

"We feel this is a great project - highly relevant to us in the yachting community and the wider maritime sector. We are proud to have purchased the first available units for our clients.” said Mark Robinson, Managing Director of Yacht Carbon Offset.

International Shipping – Advanced Antifouling

The project applies an advanced antifouling system to a fleet of 17 ships, using a low-resistance coating, which is free of biocides, to increase vessel fuel efficiency.

Fuel consumption data before and after the application of the coating are compared to determine the fuel savings achieved, to calculate the tonnage of CO2 emissions avoided.

Yacht Carbon Offset’s Mark Robinson explained, “Until now, the best greenhouse gas reduction projects have been specific installations at particular locations.

This is the first project where credits are generated from an intervention on commercial ships.

The methodology developed between the Gold Standard organisation, the coatings manufacturer and verifiers RINA, carefully quantifies the fuel savings attributable to the advanced coating over one docking cycle."

Monitoring also provides concrete evidence of the improved environmental performance achieved via this technology, encouraging more owners and charterers to consider carbon offsetting as a credible and worthwhile option to reduce the impact of carbon emissions.   

Worldwide Projects for 2016

Since 2008, the money raised via Yacht Carbon Offset has supported a wide range of emission reduction projects, mostly centred on green energy where fossil fuels are substituted by renewable resources such as wind, biomass or hydroelectric. 

“For 2016 we have some new, exciting options available, in addition to this unique international shipping project. These include a solar energy project on Mauritius, where again we are the first international purchaser of credits, and a wind power project on the Caribbean island of Aruba. Demonstrating the spread of technologies available, our portfolio also includes a biomass to energy project in Russia and a geothermal power station in Turkey.

In parallel, we maintain a requirement for each and every project to meet stringent criteria so that we can show how the greenhouse gas benefit is achieved and demonstrate full documentation as part of our Lloyds Register Quality Assurance certification.”Mark Robinson said.

Mauritius – Solar Power

The 15.2 MW photovoltaic power plant on the west of the island is the first of its kind in Mauritius. With 60,800 solar panels, it is capable of supplying over 22,000 MWh of renewable power into the grid each year; sufficient to meet the needs of more than 35,000 people. 


Aruba – Wind Power

This is the first wind farm on Aruba, situated on the east coast of the island with 10 wind turbines and a total generating capacity of 30MW. The power plant connects to Aruba’s grid, and is can produce up to 15% of the nation’s electricity needs. 

Turkey – Geothermal Power

This is the first geothermal plant to be built in the Çanakkale Province in Turkey, with a capacity of 7.5 MW, delivering around 40,000 MWh of electricity into the grid each year. The project harnesses geological heat energy by circulating a geothermal fluid through an underground reservoir. This fluid reaches a temperature of around 150°C and the heat is transferred at the surface to drive a turbine.

Russia – Waste Biomass Energy Plant

This Gold Standard project is located at a wood products manufacturing plant in Kostroma province. It substitutes conventional peat and oil fuelled boilers using wood residues to generate steam. Each boiler has a capacity of 55MW, and uses waste that would otherwise be disposed of through landfill with consequent methane emissions.

Yacht Carbon Offset provides a fully-documented service to counteract the carbon footprint of superyachts and summaries of each project are available on their website. Detailed project documentation is available on request.