Giorgio M. Cassetta: "I'll tell you about the new Benetti 85m Project Oro project."

Confidentiality and a wealth of curiosity surround the renderings of the 85-meter Benetti 'Project Oro,' a project previewed at this year's Monaco Yacht Show. SUPER YACHT 24 spoke with Giorgio Maria Cassetta, the designer who oversaw the entire design with the shipyard.

Why so many secrets about the Benetti 85m Project Oro?

"It's a project we tend to talk about little, because it essentially features two or three ideas that are highly innovative but also easy to implement, so we'd like to protect it for the time being. Also because, ultimately, clients who negotiate boats of this size tend to chat a bit with everyone in the industry. In fact, we've only released a few renderings, but otherwise we're discussing it with the utmost transparency."

Project Oro: What's behind the name of this giga yacht?

For many years, Benetti has used gold as the distinctive color of its corporate communications. On some boats, the color gold has even been used on the logo. Sebastiano Fanizza, Benetti's sales director, and I were looking for a name that was short and memorable, yet strong and ambitious enough to showcase the project. During our brainstorming, we came up with an Italian term associated with the brand. Gold is ultimately an archetype of well-being and a symbol of the concept of value. And it is necessarily the most iconic material associated with luxury. It was an almost last-minute decision, and we were all truly in agreement. Project Oro anticipates the level of ambition we are aiming for.

The level of customization is supposed to be an important component in this project, isn't that right?

Absolutely. Consider that when we refer to steel boats over 50 meters, we're always talking about semi-custom ranges. The pre-management component, both from the shipyard and ourselves, includes offering a product that works in every aspect. Then, consider that the boat can be sold and, from a functional standpoint, must not betray the client. So, no one function overrides the others. That said, the owner has complete freedom to make their own requests, for example, if they want a larger space for a specific purpose or some aesthetic modifications.

Did you work on both the exterior and interior lines? Which did you express yourself most?

"Benetti 85 Project Oro was conceived by our studio from scratch. We liked the idea of ​​presenting a project to the public that, within this scale, represented both our design capabilities and the shipyard's ability to build and innovate. As a studio, we're fully involved; we've developed the exterior lines, the master plan, and we have interior proposals that we're not disclosing at the moment. If the client wants to work with us or a designer of their choice on the interiors, we're still very open to it, as we always have been."

Looking at the stern area, it seems to be at water level, which is very original for a yacht of this size…

The rendering deceives the proportions of the boat. You could say the stern area is at waterline, but it remains about a meter above the waterline. It's designed with the necessary awareness of the safety at sea that we can't afford to compromise. The waterline is sufficient to remain protected from medium-sized waves and from a boat that might pass quickly alongside. At the same time, however, the stern area, with a free floor area of ​​about 250 square meters and a height of about two and a half meters, feels like an environment above the water. It's a beautiful compromise, a sort of very pleasant terrace overlooking the sea.

Not to be considered as a sacrificed basement beach club in the aft area then?

"This area is highly innovative in terms of volume management. On such a large boat, contact with the sea tends to be lost very easily, especially on a boat like this, which has a significant height from the main deck to the keel.

The 85m Project Oro is a palace in every way. And the aft area is a huge living space that Benetti has called the Sea-Lounge. It's a connection point between the aft area and the interior area towards the center of the ship, plus there are two side hatches (lowering gunwales, ed) that open onto the sea.

The main goal was to maintain the same lines of the boat when the doors are open compared to when they are closed. So when the doors are open, the boat even takes on this arrow-shaped design, which makes it quite remarkable.”

The lines seem to vaguely recall those of a trawler. What type of vessel was this 85-metre vessel inspired by?

"It's a slightly different story. On this boat, we set ourselves the challenge of avoiding treating such a large vessel like a building. We imagined a vessel free of the classic elements of civil architecture. We worked intensely on the continuous lines to find proportions that would work with the constantly shifting volumes. We worked for at least seven months on the exterior lines alone."

There is an interesting fan-like effect in the geometry, it seems as if the boat opens up from the stern with a staggered effect into multiple “lamellar” structures, metaphorically almost like an oyster. The radar antenna, on the other hand, seems very pronounced…

"Yes, it's an effect that makes it less noticeable how many decks the boat has. Unlike 'flattened' radar columns, which prioritize aesthetics over functionality, we decided to position the radars in a vertical area entirely dedicated to them, thus ensuring their functionality. We also wanted to highlight the mast. It's a contrasting element and a sort of plume that, with its verticality, enhances the ship's style, which develops horizontally and fluidly from the stern."

No solar panels?

"Panels would be an absolute joke on a boat this size. Excluding propulsion, the boat consumes hundreds of kilowatts of electrical load; we're talking about 100-150 kilowatts of constant consumption. I prefer to build a boat that is efficient from a sustainability standpoint, rather than greenwash. "

Is there a sustainability theme in the 85m Project Oro project?

Beyond what has been said, the 85m features a significant eco-friendly component in the engine room. The boat has two electric motors. Furthermore, there is a battery pack that allows for offsetting to shift surplus energy, or to have immediate power available instead of turning on the six available generators. This allows for hours with the generators turned off and for zero-emission navigation if the boat enters a marine protected area. Thanks to the electric motors, the boat remains stationary and does not need to anchor, which is a huge advantage in terms of environmental protection, if, for example, we think about dropping a one-ton anchor on a seagrass bed.

In terms of environmental impact, we can also offer a window insulation system that drastically reduces air conditioning consumption. There are many steps that together contribute dozens of percentage points in terms of energy efficiency.”

Couldn't photovoltaic modules be placed in windows or elsewhere?

Even if I installed 500 square meters of panels on board, I'd get 1.5 kilowatts, and that would only be 1% of the boat's energy consumption. And that's without even considering the obstruction of visibility from the windows because the solar panels would be in front. The amount of energy produced would be negligible compared to how much the boat requires.

It's the technology that's not keeping up with us. If we had high-density, fire-resistant batteries and photovoltaic fields in the middle of the sea on an offshore platform, then we could recharge the boat's batteries and sail with clean solar energy that isn't produced on board."

For the stabilization of this giga yacht?

"There are hydraulic fins. Two large, specially designed stabilizing fins are a fairly standard solution for this type of boat."

When will the first unit be launched?

“We are looking ahead to 2027 – 2028.”

Is there any news about potential buyers?

“We have negotiations that are very positive.”

What projects are in store for Cassetta – Yacht Designers?

We're working on around 25 exterior projects, and I'm talking about boats under construction here. We also have a dozen interior projects. We're growing rapidly. We're currently building boats on four continents. The level of expertise is very high. The goal is to focus on the quality of the product we provide to our clients, whether they're businesses or private individuals. So, to grow in product quality, not necessarily in the number of projects. That's why we're also hiring more people, in addition to the twelve we currently have. I'm very happy with my team, and I think this is our greatest success.

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