Siemens digital twin technology helps Caponnetto Hueber deliver hydrodynamic innovation

The Bluegame BGF45 is a 45-foot foiling catamaran capable of more than 35 Kn and is the latest result of long-standing collaboration between Caponnetto Hueber and the Bluegame shipyard, part of the Italian Sanlorenzo Group. The development program saw Caponnetto Hueber use Siemens' Simcenter advanced simulation technology to translate its decades of America's Cup hydrodynamic innovation into a commercially viable vessel that delivers efficiency, fuel economy (consumption reduced by up to 30 percent compared to a catamaran without foils), stability and comfort.

"Applying our hydrodynamic expertise, built in our America's Cup work, to a commercial vessel requires powerful simulation tools. Siemens' Simcenter technology allowed us to evaluate concepts quickly, refine the foilassisted architecture and give Bluegame a design that delivers measurable gains in efficiency and comfort," said Mario Caponnetto, co-founder and technical director, Caponnetto Hueber. "By combining our racing experience backed up with the Siemens' advanced simulation technologies, we were able to bring innovation to the BGF45 that simply wouldn't be achievable through traditional methods."

"Shipyards must deliver meaningful performance improvements without adding operational complexity for customers. Simcenter's simulation and digitaltwin capabilities allowed the BGF45 engineering teams to validate design decisions early and optimize hydrodynamic behavior across realworld ocean conditions," said Mike Croegaert, director of marine solutions - simulation, Siemens Digital Industries Software. "This collaboration demonstrates how advanced simulation can bring racinggrade innovation to commercial vessels."

Transferring racing yacht know-how to leisure yacht design

While yacht design has traditionally relied heavily on trialanderror approaches and towingtank experiments, today's shipyards require measurable performance gains to justify Research and Development investment. To achieve this, Caponnetto Hueber brought its three decades of racing experience and foiling innovation into the commercial market and took a new datadriven approach to its design process.

Caponnetto Hueber and Bluegame adapted learnings from their 50knot hydrogenpowered foiling catamaran - created for the 37th America's Cup - into a new foilassisted configuration for the BGF45. Keeping the stern in the water eliminates the need for complex, expensive liftcontrol systems while still reducing drag by up to 30 percent, exceeding the typical singledigit improvements seen in the sector.

Siemens' Simcenter software for advanced structural simulation and Simcenter STAR-CCM+ software for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) enabled comprehensive structural analysis, seakeeping studies, manoeuvring analysis and fluidstructure interaction work. Visualizations of wave impacts, turning trajectories and foiltohull vortex behaviour created a shared "link language" between engineering teams and the shipyard, driving a more scientific and collaborative culture.

Part of a wider collaboration with Siemens

In addition to supporting the development of the hull, Siemens' SENTRON products form the heart of the BGF45's electrification system and enables intelligent management of energy flows through integrated monitoring functions, further contributing to the yacht's overall efficiency.

The Bluegame BGF45 has attracted significant interest at recent boat shows due to its reduced fuel consumption, improved comfort and racinginspired design. These results highlight the growing value of simulationled development across the marine industry.