Obsidian

• LOA: 84.2 m
• Delivered: 2023
• Builder: Feadship (De Voogt Naval Architects)
• Design: RWD with MONK Design (exterior and interior)
• Propulsion: FAED diesel-electric hybrid, Veth contra-rotating thrusters (no shafts or rudders)
• Battery bank: around 4.5 MWh (560 modules)
• Battery-only range: around 35 nm at 10 knots
• Fuel: HVO biofuel capable, around 90 per cent CO2 reduction versus fossil fuel

A new benchmark for cleaner cruising

Obsidian was Feadship's first delivery of 2023 and arrived with a clear mission, to raise the standard for carbon reduction on a large custom yacht. At 84.2 metres she was built to an explicit owner directive to cut emissions across her operating life. The yard positioned her as the opening statement of a new generation, part of its stated goal to build carbon-neutral superyachts by 2030. She proves that a serious environmental brief and full Feadship luxury can live together.

The numbers behind that claim are substantial. Analysed with the industry YETI tool, Obsidian is estimated to operate with around 27 per cent less total environmental impact than a similar yacht launched five years earlier on fossil fuel, and about 60 per cent less when running on biofuel. Feadship also credits her with more than 30 per cent less impact than its own first hybrid, Savannah. Those figures give the sustainability story a measurable backbone. Obsidian was designed to be judged on evidence rather than intention.

RWD styling with a clean conscience

The exterior is the work of British studio RWD, developed in collaboration with MONK Design, and it wears its efficiency quietly. The profile is smooth and modern, shaped to reduce drag and to complement the low-emission systems beneath. Removing the drive shafts and rudders allowed the naval architects a freer hand with the hull form, since the appendages that usually add drag are gone. That cleaner underwater shape contributes directly to the yacht's efficiency.

Above the waterline the design frees up unusual space for guests. Without the machinery arrangement of a conventional yacht, the layout could be reorganised to give more room to living areas. Wide decks and generous glazing keep the interior connected to the sea and the surroundings. The exterior spaces are set up for relaxed use in a range of climates. The whole package shows how an environmental brief can shape the look and feel of a yacht in positive ways.

A new-generation Feadship built around carbon reduction, with no drive shafts and no rudders.

Space unlocked by clever engineering

Inside, RWD carried the design through to the guest spaces, which benefit directly from the yacht's unusual engineering. The absence of shafts and rudders and the compact electric drive allowed the accommodation to be laid out with more freedom than usual. Obsidian offers seven staterooms, with volumes that feel generous for an 84-metre yacht. The interior tone is contemporary and warm, in step with the exterior styling. Fine materials and Feadship joinery give the rooms the depth expected at this level.

The quiet running of the yacht shapes the interior experience as much as any finish. Because the battery bank can carry the hotel load at anchor for many hours, guests can enjoy still, silent nights without a generator humming in the background. That calm is a luxury in its own right and a direct product of the propulsion design. Living spaces are arranged for comfort across long stays aboard. The result is a modern interior that feels light, open and unusually peaceful.

The Feadship Advanced Electrical Drive

Obsidian is built around Feadship's Advanced Electrical Drive programme, a diesel-electric hybrid with a large lithium battery bank of about 4.5 megawatt-hours across 560 modules. That is roughly four and a half times the electrical storage of Savannah, the yard's first hybrid, and it runs at 1,000 volts against the earlier yacht's 560. Four variable-speed generators based on modified Caterpillar C32 engines feed the system. Propulsion and steering come from a pair of Veth contra-rotating thrusters, which do away with both drive shafts and rudders.

In practice the system gives Obsidian real electric capability. She can cover around 35 nautical miles at 10 knots on battery power alone, and hold her hotel loads at anchor for 10 to 15 hours in silence. Her generators can run on second-generation HVO biofuel, which the yard says cuts carbon emissions by about 90 per cent compared with fossil fuel. Together these features attack emissions from several directions at once. The engineering is the reason Obsidian can back up its environmental claims.

An owner brief that moved the market

Obsidian exists because her owner asked for it, setting a directive to reduce carbon emissions that shaped the entire project. Feadship has not named the owner, in keeping with its usual discretion. What the yacht demonstrates is that demand for cleaner superyachts is coming from clients themselves, not only from regulators. That shift matters for the whole industry, since owner appetite drives what yards develop. Obsidian turned a personal value into a working vessel.

As a market signal, Obsidian carries weight well beyond her own decks. She shows that a full-custom flagship can chase serious efficiency gains without giving up comfort or style, which reshapes what buyers can reasonably ask for. Feadship has used the lessons from her build to inform later projects on the path to its 2030 target. For owners weighing a new commission, she is proof that sustainability and desirability can be specified together. Her influence is likely to outlast the novelty of her technology.

Design

• Exterior: RWD (Redman Whiteley Dixon), in collaboration with MONK Design
• Naval architecture: Feadship - De Voogt Naval Architects

Who it is for: Owners who want a large custom yacht with a genuinely lower environmental footprint, backed by measurable figures rather than claims.

Guide price: Value estimated at approx. USD 180 million by SuperYachtFan; owner reported as Karel Komarek. Unofficial estimate, no builder-published price.