Project FB 272: Benetti's gygayacht season

Project FB 272, February 2019

On February, 5 2019 Bennetti launched Project FB272, the largest superyacht in the brand’s history built at their Italian shipyard in Livorno. The 107-meter yacht is set to become one of the 40 largest yachts in the world.

This is the second ‘gigayacht’ launch for the shipyard, with another expected in the coming months. “On this auspicious day, I could not be prouder to stand here among Benetti’s family, friends and colleagues to witness the launch of our latest enthralling creation. This iconic project has had a huge impact on local industry and, after more than two million hours of skilled work from over 100 suppliers, we can truly pronounce her as a wonderful achievement for Livorno and the “Made In Italy” ethos as a whole,” said Azimut Benetti’s President Paolo Vitelli in a statement from the shipyard.

The so-called ‘Gigayacht’ season from Benetti is a result in a huge investment plan, including new facilities and an increased team of experts. As illustrated in The Superyacht New Build Report (now available to download here) Benetti delivered 32 yachts in the 40-60m size range between 2014 - 2018, the largest producer in this area of the market. The shipyard’s expansion into the larger size range of 100m+ vessels supports its place in the market as one of the strongest yards in the superyacht world.

The exterior concept was developed by the group’s designer Giorgio Cassetta in a partnership with Azure Naval Architects, Zaniz Interiors and Reymond Langron Design. One of the distinctive features of FB272 are three-meter-high windows spreading the light indoors. The yacht offers a vast variety of dining and social zones incorporated into the superstructure. Helicopter landing pad with a fuelling station is accessible from a private deck.

In addition to pushing the shipyard’s boundaries of size, FB272 also features a number of technological advancements. Six generators produce 1,000 KW each, which is managed electronically. This system is then used to charge 35 tonnes of batteries, meaning that the yacht can operate for 12 hours without the engine running. Other notable elements of the yacht include a ‘waste heat recovery’ system, designed by the owner, which is able to save large amounts of energy, making the yacht as eco-friendly as possible. The vessel also has three-metre height windows, with over 800 sqm of window glass across the whole yacht.

FB272 has a displacement of above 5,500 GT, a length of about 100m and a beam of 17m. The yacht is fitted with a pioneering hybrid propulsion system, which has diesel-electric engines and two Azipod propulsion units connected to a special battery pack.