The superyacht forum meets at last year’s Ocean Day (as reported by the Super Yacht News) was seen as an eye-opener to the issues surrounding a more sustainable future in the yachting industry.
When six of the most prominent organisations in marine sustainability came together, it was seen as a landmark for change that some have believed to be long overdue. Their representations and collaboration to better document and detail factors directly impacting sustainability have been widely applauded and praised by the various businesses operating within the landscape.
Collaboration is already occurring between the International SeaKeepers Society and Yachts for Science, fostering connections between scientists and yachts for marine research. The roundtable also emphasised various avenues of support required, including financial contributions, improved industry practices, yacht management assessments, and facilitating ocean science projects.
The article stresses the youthfulness of these organisations, with all but the International SeaKeepers Society being relatively new. It underscores the importance of ongoing support to help these groups build knowledge and capability to advance sustainability in the industry.
In summary, there was much positivity from the meeting, but work still needs to be done. Shared information and joint efforts to better understand and direct science are required. There is fresh optimism that this is a case of when rather than if, leading to the positive change the industry needs.