The owners of an innovative Maltese-flagged superyacht have just taken possession of their new vessel in Malta, unveiling plans to travel to the farthest corners of the world while providing cutting-edge facilities for scientists and researchers.

French philanthropist François Fiat.

The 76.6 metre Yersin is the brainchild of French philanthropist François Fiat, and is the first privately owned vessel to be designed for navigation in any and all conditions, including ice and river exploration.

Showing journalists around the vessel yesterday, Mr Fiat said his intention was for the Yersin to contribute to advancement in scientific and ecological research and education, with the ultimate aim of assisting with the preservation of the environment.

He said he would be establishing partnerships with educational and research institutions to allow scientists, as well as cadets and students of maritime schools, to study the environment in remote and ecologically sensitive areas of the world.

Able to travel autonomously for a period of 50 days, the yacht is outfitted with all the trappings of a luxury pleasure craft, including a spa, gym, cinema, two dining rooms and six en-suite guest cabins.

I have found in Malta a second home

But beneath her glitzy exterior, the Yersin is equipped to operate in environments between -20 and 50 degrees Celsius, a first for a private yacht, and comes with two laboratories, a media room, an infirmary, a landing craft and four military-grade tenders.

Captain Jean Du Marais said the Yersin, commissioned three years ago, also came with a range of features aimed at reducing her environmental impact, and had the capacity to travel without any interior or exterior pollutant releases for up to 10 days carrying 38 people.

The yacht is equipped with a dry exhaust system to eliminate oil slicks and exhaust filters capable of ensuring that no soot is emitted.

Speaking of his decision to register the vessel in Malta, Mr Fiat said the Malta flag was well-recognised and had a very strong reputation worldwide.

“As I grew up on Mediterranean shores, I have found in Malta a second home, with a shared culture and history, and I hope to have a long relationship with the country,” he said.

Asked about cost, Mr Fiat would say only that yachts of this nature typically cost in the region of €1m per metre (putting the Yersin in the region of €77m) but that the bulk of the expense had gone into the ship’s ecological and passenger-grade safety features.