Impact
21 superyachts, tracked in EU waters. These are the same figures that sit behind the rest of this site — without the tables.
Section A
In CO₂
Carbon dioxide only. Every figure is a range, because the underlying model produces a range.
A1 — Fleet CO₂, annualised
44,238–55,626tonnes CO₂ / year
Over a year of running like this, the tracked superyachts emit an estimated 44,238–55,626 tonnes of CO₂.
Annualised from the observed 24-hour window (121.2–152.4 tonnes). Observed vessels only — never a complete register.
A2 — Total emissions vs. flights
121–153economy seats
In 24 hours this fleet put out the same total amount of CO₂ as 121–153 people flying economy from Amsterdam to New York. Not per guest — that is the whole fleet's absolute output for one day.
Total fleet output for one 24-hour window compared against a one-way AMS→JFK economy seat: great-circle distance × 1.08 route uplift × 0.000158 tonnes CO₂ per passenger-kilometre.
A3 — Intensity per guest, per kilometre
4.5–5.4×
Where A2 is a total, this is a rate: fleet-wide, every guest-kilometre on these yachts costs 4.5–5.4× more CO₂ than a kilometre travelled by a passenger on one of the most efficient cruise ships.
Estimated — published max capacity — Published maximum guest berths, excluding crew. Not a count of people aboard. Calculated fleet-wide: total CO₂ divided by the sum of (maximum guest berths × distance travelled), giving 1.13–1.35 kg CO₂ per guest-kilometre against 0.25 kg. It is a distance-based rate, so only the 10 vessels that logged observed distance in this window can enter it: 10 tracked vessels stayed stationary (0 nm, therefore no guest-kilometres) and 1 has no published emissions figure. Absolute totals elsewhere on this page still include every vessel. Cruise reference: ICCT (EU MRV-verified reporting).
A4 — For scale
1.7–2.1%
This fleet alone runs at 1.7–2.1% of the CO₂ the EU expects to save with its entire single-use plastics directive — the directive that gave you a cardboard straw. There is no comparable binding CO₂ rule for superyachts.
[PLACEHOLDER — annual saving vs. cumulative saving to 2030 not yet confirmed]
Reference figure 2.6 Mt CO₂-eq. Single-use plastics scope only (2.6 Mt CO₂-eq). The wider 3.4 Mt figure also covers fishing gear and is not used here. Source: European Commission / European Parliament, Single-Use Plastics Directive impact estimates. Fleet total is annualised from the observed window.
In 2023 stootten 896 jachten tussen 400 en 4.999 GT die EU-havens aandeden naar schatting 1,45 miljoen ton CO₂ uit — 1,1% van alle scheepvaartemissies die dat jaar onder het EU-MRV-systeem werden gemonitord. Niet-commerciële jachten vallen nog altijd buiten het EU-emissiehandelssysteem (ETS).
Deze cijfers gaan over een bredere categorie (400–4.999 GT) dan de ≥60m-vloot die deze Observatory zelf volgt — geen directe vergelijking met de cijfers elders op deze site.
Bron: Europese Commissie, COM(2025) 109 final, Tabel 1 (18 maart 2025).
Regulatory reference points — tracked fleet
21 of 21 tracked yachts sit above the proposed 400 GT threshold; 1 above the current 5,000 GT MRV/ETS threshold.
GT thresholds are regulatory reference points, not an inclusion criterion of this tracker. Length alone (≥60 m LOA) decides which yachts are followed here. Counted over the current snapshot; unrelated to the EU Commission figures above, which cover a different population of vessels.
Section B
In fuel
The same activity, measured as litres of diesel rather than as carbon.
B1 — Fleet fuel volume, annualised
16.4–20.6million litres / year
That comes to an estimated 16,427,555–20,649,875 litres of fuel burned per year.
Annualised from the observed 24-hour window (45,007–56,575 litres). Propulsion and onboard auxiliary load combined.
B2 — The same volume, in something you can picture
6.6–8.3Olympic pools
Filled up, that is 6.6–8.3 Olympic swimming pools full of diesel — in a single year.
One Olympic-size pool taken as 2,500,000 litres. Source: World Aquatics (formerly FINA) facilities rules FR 2.2 — 50 m × 25 m × 2.0 m minimum depth = 2,500 m³.
Section C
Hall of Shame
The heaviest emitters currently published by the live pipeline, ranked by absolute CO₂ over the observed 24-hour window.
No yacht currently meets the 24-hour coverage gate, so there is nothing to rank yet.
Nog onvoldoende dekking voor een betrouwbaar 24h-cijfer. De observatiepijplijn is vandaag gestart; dit cijfer verschijnt zodra voldoende jachten 24 aaneengesloten uren dekking hebben.
Live ranking from the published fleet view: only yachts that pass the 24-hour coverage gate appear here, so the list can be shorter than five. It is never padded with other vessels.
Estimated — published max capacity — Published maximum guest berths, excluding crew. Not a count of people aboard. Vessels only: no owners, no people.
Every number here traces back to a sourced methodology.
See the full working