First Silent 60 launched at new Italian shipyard

Solar-electric catamaran builder Silent-Yachts has launched a Silent 60 solar-electric catamaran at its new shipyard in Fano, Italy. The launch is the first to occur at the yard, which was acquired in 2022.

“We are happy that our Italian shipyard performs really well. It was the right decision to purchase and develop it in a way that is in line with our corporate long-term strategy,” says Michael Köhler, founder and chief executive of Silent-Yachts.

The new 17.99-metre Silent 60 carries 42 solar panels for 16 kWp of solar energy to power two electric motors of 2 x 250 kW, which can reach a top speed of 14 knots. Backed up by a battery capacity of up to 210 kWh, the shipyard says the vessel will be able to cruise efficiently with zero emissions solely on solar power for up to 100 nautical miles a day for weeks – without the need for fossil fuels.

This yacht has four guest cabins on the lower deck, including a spacious master suite in the bow. (The series allows up to six cabins plus one crew cabin.)

With a draft of under 1m the Silent 60 can access the shallow bays commonly encountered while cruising in the Caribbean and South-East Asia. Two swimming platforms in the stern can be extended on the owner’s request to carry a pair of electric jet skis. The lifting hydraulic platform between the two platforms can carry a 4-metre tender.

Silent-Yachts says more Silent 60 series yachts will be delivered in 2023, including the first Silent 62 tri-deck. The firm starts manufacturing the new Silent Tender series in Fano this month, too

“In Fano, in the area of 22,000 square metres, we have five more production sites that are fully equipped for the construction and fitting out of our boats,” says Köhler. “After an initial start-up and restructuring phase, the growth was exponential. We tripled the number of employees by the end of 2022, and we invested heavily in infrastructure and machinery.”

Silent-Yachts’ Fano shipyard

In 2022, the privately Austrian-owned company announced it had been restructured as Silent Group, a move that brings together several of the company’s separate divisions, including charter and brokerage, under the Silent brand.

The post First Silent 60 launched at new Italian shipyard appeared first on Marine Industry News.