RINA Grows Greener

You might think that by their very nature, sailing yachts would qualify as “green” machines. Who knew a vessel powered primarily by the wind could be judged greener still? The recently launched 164-foot (50-meter) Wally Better Place is the first sailing yacht to receive RINA’s Green Star environmental notation, in part, because she is equipped with the latest Siemens/Caterpillar diesel-electric propulsion system.

By Kenny Wooton, Editor-in-Chief, Yachts International

May 28, 2012

You might think that by their very nature, sailing yachts would qualify as “green” machines. Who knew a vessel powered primarily by the wind could be judged greener still? The recently launched 164-foot (50-meter) Wally Better Place is the first sailing yacht to receive RINA’s Green Star environmental notation, in part, because she is equipped with the latest Siemens/Caterpillar diesel-electric propulsion system.

RINA is one of the world’s oldest classification societies. It began its activities in Genoa in 1861 on the initiative of the “Maritime Health Insurance Association” as Italy’s official shipping classification society. Since then, RINA has expanded its activities and made one its goals to help promote a more environmentally friendly way to boat. The Green Star and Green Plus notations (introduced in 2008) are ways for the classification society to promote environmentally friendly yachting.

To obtain this special notation, the society rates a yacht against its environmental performance index, which takes into account 12 main sources of pollution. To get the Green Plus Yacht certificate from RINA, a yacht must exceed the minimum levels set by international regulation on environmental protection. The main items that comprise a yacht’s environmental index are:

oil from machinery spaces
sewage
gray water
garbage treatment
sea pollution sources (ballast water, antifouling systems, etc.)
ozone-depleting substances
greenhouse gases and pollutants
NOx
SOx
particulates
CO2 emission
construction materials and building procedures

The rating system is designed to provide sufficient flexibility for designers and engineers to select the tools they deem to be most appropriate. Since introducing this notation a few years ago, RINA has added levels allowing builders and designers to aim ever higher—Green Plus Gold and Platinum—as a way of supporting and promoting the introduction of innovative technologies. Two recent awardees of RINA environmental notations are the Picchiotti Vitruvius motoryacht Exuma, which was awarded the RINA Green Plus Platinum certification, and Better Place.