At the recent Cannes Yachting Festival, one of the most admired vessels was the Azimut Grande 44M, the subject of an in-depth article by PressMare.

A distinctive feature of the yacht and one of the most innovative solutions installed on board is the Hull Vane foil technology, developed by the Dutch company: essentially, it is a carbon wing positioned at the stern that reduces the wave generated by the hull while producing additional thrust.

The use of carbon fiber allowed for a significant reduction in weight: the wing weighs just 400 kg, compared to the 1,500 kg a similar steel device would have required. In practical terms, the benefits include reduced hydrodynamic drag and greater onboard comfort, thanks to minimized pitching and rolling.

PressMare interviewed Lex Blox, Hull Vane Sales Manager.

PressMare – Can you give us a quick overview of your company?

Lex Blox – Hull Vane BV is a Dutch company focused on the development, engineering and application of Hull Vane® stern hydrofoils. The technology was originally developed by our sister company, Van Oossanen Naval Architects, and Hull Vane BV was established to focus specifically on bringing it to the market. We are a team of eight, covering sales, engineering, marketing and administration, and we work across three main markets: naval and defence vessels, yachts and commercial vessels. Each market has different requirements, but the underlying focus is the same: improving hydrodynamic efficiency.

PM – Can you recap how the collaboration with Azimut on the Grande 44M project started, developed and came to the final result?

LB – Our cooperation with Azimut goes back to earlier investigations and hydrodynamic studies on different projects. When the Grande 44M project started, Azimut’s R&D team involved us at an early stage, so the Hull Vane could be considered as part of the yacht’s overall design rather than something added afterwards. Our role was to optimize the Hull Vane hydrodynamically using CFD and look at how it would work with the specific hull and operating profile of the yacht.

PM – How long did you work at this foil and what kind of benefits is it bringing to the yacht? Would this technology be replicable on other vessels?

LB – For the Grande 44M, the development involved looking at different Hull Vane configurations and how they interacted with the yacht’s hull and stern wave. We used the CFD results to refine the design for the vessel’s specific operating profile. The aim was to get the best possible hydrodynamic performance from the integration. Since the yacht has only recently been launched, we don’t have operational data yet to quantify the actual benefit, so we would rather not put a number on it at this stage. That said, the same technology can be applied to very different yacht concepts. The Sirena Superyachts 42M, for example, also has a Hull Vane®, but it has a different hull form and operating profile. In each case, the Hull Vane is designed around the specific vessel and how it is intended to operate.

PM – What was the biggest challenge you had to face in this project, and how did you manage to find the right solution?

LB – There wasn’t really one major challenge that stands out in this project. Because the Hull Vane was considered at an early stage, we had the opportunity to develop it together with the yacht rather than trying to fit it into a finished design. That made the development process relatively straightforward.

PM – What kind of feedbacks you got at the Cannes Yachting Festival? Anything that surprised you, or worth highlighting?

LB – I visited the Cannes Yachting Festival and had the chance to see the Grande 44M there. It was interesting to finally see the complete yacht after having followed the development of the Hull Vane during the project. The Grande 44M also received the Special Jury Prize at the Innovation Route Awards. What I found interesting was how several different approaches to efficiency come together in the yacht, from its lightweight construction and hybrid propulsion to its hydrodynamic design. For us, it was a nice opportunity to see the technical work we had been involved in as part of the complete yacht.

PM – In Italy you are working with your local dealer Samos: how is your sales activity structured and what are the markets with the highest growth potential, in your view?

LB – We work in Italy with Samos, our agent, who has strong knowledge of the Italian yachting and maritime market. Having someone who knows the market and has established relationships is valuable, particularly because many projects develop over time rather than through a single sales contact. The Grande 44M has also brought some additional interest in the yachting sector, especially after its presentation at the major yacht shows. At the same time, we see opportunities in other Italian shipbuilding sectors, including passenger, cruise and RoRo vessels. For these vessels, fuel consumption and emissions are key operational considerations, so hydrodynamic efficiency naturally becomes part of the overall design discussion.

PM – What are the next steps for Hull Vane: will you be exhibiting at the Metstrade, for example? Should we expect something new coming out soon?

LB – We will be exhibiting at Metstrade, and we’re looking forward to meeting both existing contacts and new people there. The Grande 44M has certainly created some new interest in the yachting sector, but our work is broader than one project or one market. We are continuing to work on Hull Vane applications for yachts, commercial vessels and naval vessels. Some projects are still at an early stage, so there isn’t much we can say about them publicly yet. For us, it’s less about introducing something new just for the sake of it and more about developing the right solution for each vessel and how it will actually be operated.

Riccardo Masnata