Blue Marine Yacht Club launches at MYS for superyachts with conscience

by Media Services on 19 Sep 2012 This week at Monaco Yacht Show, His Serene Highness, Prince Albert II will unveil the Blue Marine Yacht Club, appealing to owners and charter companies of the world’s most superlative superyachts to protect, preserve and lower their hull-print on the world’s oceans.

With high profile yacht owners such as Ernesto Bertarelli, Sir Charles Dunstone and Gerald Ronson already signed on, the club will contribute to the Blue Marine Foundation’s goal of increasing the world’s marine reserves from 1 per cent to 10 per cent over the next 10 years.

'I hope we’ll see the club flag flying in every marina in the world,' says Chris Gorell Barnes, co-founder of Blue Marine and executive producer of the award-winning documentary The End of the Line.

'Owners and charters have already seen an increase in jellyfish in the Med and know we need to save the oceans. This connects their enjoyment of the sea with a means to help save it.'

A donation of €25,000 buys a yacht owner entry to the club and the right to fly its Ralph Lauren-designed flag. Mr Barnes says that the organisers are also trying to persuade big charter and brokerage businesses to absorb a club subscription within their charter rates.

He adds: 'They are all very supportive, but they’re hesitant to add another line item to the charter bill. We’re working on a plan which we hope will be deployed across the big five charter houses by the end of this year.'

Yacht charter and management company, Y.Co – which co-hosted the launch of the Blue Marine Yacht Club in Monaco – has already made a direct corporate contribution to the club and aims to recoup the donation through an opt-in levy that will allow owners and charterers to donate 0.5 per cent of their charter revenue or fee to Blue Marine.
Y.Co has pledged to support the Blue Marine Foundation in three main ways: through an annual corporate donation; by promoting the cause to the wider superyacht industry; and by encouraging yacht Owners and charter Clients to become supporters of the BLUE cause.

On its website Y.Co states: 'We are proud to co-host the launch of the Blue Marine Yacht Club (for supporters of the organisation) alongside Prince Albert II of Monaco’s Foundation and Ralph Lauren. In 2013 we plan to launch a ground breaking opt-in levy which will allow charter clients and owners to donate 0.5% of their charter fee or revenue to BLUE.'

'The world is changing and our clients are more and more aware that giving back can be part of the yachting experience,' says Charlie Birkett, managing director of Y.Co. 'We’ve led by contributing as a business, and we’re encouraging our clients to do the same.'

Even without such initiatives, the industry is facing increasingly stringent international regulations, including tougher controls under the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (Marpol) that come in to force in January.

The new rules are focused on sewage, waste disposal and reducing emissions of oxides of sulphur and nitrogen. The green movement appears to be penetrating almost every niche of the industry, from owners, charterers to shipyards and marina managers.

Marinas are beginning to invest in renewable energies. A recent report by the International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA) highlighted wind, geothermal and solar technologies as viable options for marinas. But operators are reluctant to adopt these new technologies, says the report’s author and secretary of the ICOMIA marinas group, Dr Peter Jansen.

'The technologies are still too expensive. Marina developers, many of whose leases end in 20-30 years, won’t invest in technologies where the return on investment can’t be realised in the short term.'

More at www.bluemarinefoundation.com