Y.CO launch new sustainability initiatives
Superyacht company Y.CO has announced new initiatives focused on environmental protection and social equity across its business in time for World Ocean Day (8th June). The initiatives have seen the company partner with YachtAid Global, launch a carbon compensation programme, and financially support Yacht Crew Help, a free 24-hour helpline for crew.
Y.CO, which manages over 100 yacht operations worldwide, will now be able to provide its fleet with the resources to participate in humanitarian, disaster relief and conservation efforts, as part of the partnership with non-profit organisation YachtAid Global.
YachtAid Global has in recent years has provided emergency supplies and disaster relief to the Bahamas following Hurricane Dorian, delivered clean water access to communities in Mexico, launched the first library in the Galapagos, provided surf therapy for at-risk youths in Cape Town and supported scientists with pelagic research and conservation across the Eastern Pacific. Y.CO yacht crews will now be given the training required to use their yachts in these operations.
“We are fortunate to work with some of the most forward-thinking yacht owners and most talented crew in the world. We often speak to clients who want to know how they can use their superyacht as a force for good,” said Charlie Birkett, Y.CO co-founder and CEO.
“We’ve worked with YachtAid Global in the past and through the incredible work they do, some of the yachts we manage have been able to attend disaster-stricken regions as first-responders, directly saving lives in recent years. Now, by formalising this partnership, we hope to be able to encourage more of our yachts to do the same, providing fleet-wide training and support to enable them to do so.”
Elsewhere Y.CO has put pen to paper on its own commitment to the environment by signing the Monaco National Pact for Energy Transition, reducing its corporate travel footprint and launching a new sustainability policy aimed at reducing yacht emissions.
Gary Wright, Y.CO co-founder and chairman said: “We’ve been working with a couple of shipyards on the build of solar-electric catamarans and it’s inspiring to see that with today’s technology, yachts within a certain size range really can operate autonomously with zero emissions. Although at the moment it’s only possible on yachts up to 100 feet where hotel load is manageable, we are already seeing this technology optimise energy consumption on much bigger yachts.”
Y.CO has also launched its own carbon compensation programme allowing clients to compensate for the emissions of their yacht fuel, their flights, or both, by investing in climate action projects. Projects on offer include supporting renewable energy projects in the Caribbean, Blue Carbon sequestration with YachtAid Global and certified credits through a global portfolio offered by climate change consultancy South Pole.
Meanwhile, to support the mental health awareness and prevention training that Y.CO is conducting across its own fleet, the firm is continuing to fund Yacht Crew Help, a free, anonymous, multilingual support helpline. The helpline, staffed by the International Seafarer’s Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN), is operated by trained professionals and provides crew free access to professional counselling and professional psychological support.
Mark Paterson, director of Yacht Management for Y.CO said: “Crew are the most important component of the running of a yacht and we are working with our owners to make sure that they are adequately looked after, as we would any other part of the yacht’s operation. A happy, healthy crew is a safe and effective crew and we want to make sure that we are promoting the most positive onboard experience possible throughout our fleet.”
