The Picchiotti Vitruvius 55 superyacht Galileo G built by Picchiotti of the Perini Navi Group has been launched and has undergone its first seatrials. The Picchiotti-Vitruvius Ice Class 55 yacht Galileo G was built under the hull name C.2156, measures 55m (183ft) in length and is the second of three Vitruvius superyachts sold by the Perini Navi Group to date.

The Picchiotti Vitruvius 55 superyacht Galileo G by Picchiotti – Photo Credit Giuliano Sargentini courtesy of Perini Navi

The Picchiotti yacht Galileo G was designed by Vitruvius Ltd, and features naval architecture by Philippe Briand. The is ice class rated Picchiotti-Vitruvius 55 meter yacht was built to circumnavigate the globe and travel to harsh marine environments like the North West Passage and Antarctica.

The Picchiotti Vitruvius 55 superyacht Galileo G by Picchiotti – Photo Credit Giuliano Sargentini courtesy of Perini Navi

It took approximately 40 months to complete the Picchiotti Vitruvius 55 motor yacht Galileo G. Signed in April 2008, she was the second of three Vitruvius superyachts sold by the Perini Navi Group to date. The first yacht in Vitruvius series, launched in 2010 is the award winning 50 m superyacht EXUMA which is a luxury charter yacht. The third-Picchiotti Vitruvius superyacht measures 73 meters, and is currently in build at the Perini Istanbul-Yildiz shipyard in Turkey, under the hull name C2189. The Picchiotti Vitruvius-73 meters will be transported to Italy in 2012 and is expected to be completed in 2013. Vitruvius Yachts are superyachts that range from 44 to 73 metres in length.

Constructed in order with the guidelines for Ice Class 1B, M/Y Galileo G features equipment designed to function at low temperatures, such as her clean flush foredeck, which prevents water being trapped and frozen. Heated winches and gaskets also prevent ice formation. The Galileo yacht is also fitted with an Ice Belt, positioned around 40mm above the waterline at full load and at 500mm under the water line at light load. This belt can carry loads of up to 55t/m². The steel used in the ice belt is thicker (25-30% above the normal range), which makes the hull more resistant to possible collisions with floating ice.

Reinforcements on board Galileo G were also fitted on all of the appendages that protrude from the hull under the waterline. For example the rudders are fitted with ice knives, her stabilizers have reinforced beams and attachment areas and her propeller blades are made out Nibral, an alloy of nickel, bronze, and aluminium.

The Galileo G yacht was not designed not to break the ice but rather to navigate in areas where there is the chance of crossing areas that contain 40 cm of multiyear ice. Multiyear ice contains more air pockets than first-year ice due to the processes that occur during the summer melt.

The superyacht Galileo G is armed with retractable telescopic ice-detection sonar connected to a 3D monitor in the wheelhouse which can detect submerged and semi-submerged obstacles up to 1 km away.

The Picchiotti-Vitruvius Explorer yacht Galileo G has a range of 9,000 miles at 11 knots and is expected to consume less than 145,000 litres of fuel.

The Picchiotti Vitruvius 55 Explorer motor yacht Galileo G by Picchiotti – Photo Credit Giuliano Sargentini courtesy of Perini Navi

The generous living space onboard the Galileo G superyacht is spread over three spacious decks. The yacht is able to accommodate up to 10 guests in 6 cabins including full beam owners’ suite on the main deck with wide windows on both sides offering panoramic views and an additional 4 cabins on the lower deck. There is also accommodation for 11 crew members.

M/Y Galileo G was constructed in accordance with MCA (Maritime Coastguard Agency) and LY2 (Large Commercial Yacht Code) requirements.

The Picchiotti-Vitruvius Explorer Galileo G also features superior tenders, equipment and lift raft systems needed for the tough marine environments she is designed to cruise in. She has three tenders including a 9.5m Hurricane Zodiac tender with an aluminum hull and reinforced tubes, a 6.3m Smuggler tender, and a 4.2m rescue tender. Galileo G’s life raft system is heated, which enables them to be deployed even in the harshest freeing conditions. Two Lasers and four kayaks are also on-board.

Her V-Sat Marine Antenna Seatel Cobhan 9797 has a dome diameter of 3,65m, and holds a 2,4 m satellite dish which provides hi-speed broadband internet connections for guests on board.

The Picchiotti Vitruvius 55 motor yacht Galileo G by Picchiotti – Photo Credit Giuliano Sargentini courtesy of Perini Navi

The Galileo G yacht will be presented at the Monaco Yacht Show 2011 which runs from the 21-24th of September 2011.

Technical specifications of the recently launched Picchiotti Vitruvius 55 motor yacht Galileo G by Perini Navi Group

LOA (m):                                  55.20
LWL (m):                                  54.00
Beam (m):                               10.25
Draft (m):                                 3.00
Displacement-lightship (t):      580.00
Engine power (Hp):                3147
Fuel (l):                                  145000
Fresh Water (l):                      17000
Range:                                    9000 @ 12kts
Construction:                           Steel + Alu.Alloy
Naval Architecture:                  Philippe Briand
Exterior design:                        Vitruvius Yachts
Interior design:                         Cantiere Picchiotti
Builder:                                     Cantiere Picchiotti
Delivered:                                 2011