Photo courtesy of BMT Nigel Gee
IfTuhura is in a category of its own, CRP Azipod propulsion has a commercial heritage, having been first selected in 2004 for the 32-knot Shin Nihonkai Ferry Co. RoPax Ferries Akashia and Hamanasu, delivered by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Then the largest and fastest ferries in Japan, these ships were more manoeuvrable than their predecessors while consuming 20% less fuel, with ABB winning a follow up contract for two more Shin Nihonkai fast ferries in 2010.
“The hybrid CRP system is inherently efficient and perfectly suited to the canoe form. There is a synergy between the efficiency of the hull form and that of the propulsion system,” said James Roy, Yacht Design Director at BMT Nigel Gee.
Such a synergy fits with the fact that, below the tatami floors and the brushed teak interiors, and the “primitive organic shapes” that Salvagni describes as running throughout, Tuhura is a state-of-the-art superyacht distinguished by progressive technology. Some, of course, is not so hidden: guest attractions will include a 360-degree cinema and fingertip control over HVAC, lighting, audio and video systems. The “smart boat” also features controls that monitor and respond to preferences such as room temperature and even tastes in music.
Less visible perhaps, but just as critical in terms of synergizing the “ancient” with the ultra-modern will be the CRP Azipod solution, which BMT Nigel Gee’s Roy describes as integral to “a yacht which marries an evolutionary simple hull with an evolutionary advanced propulsion system”.