DETROIT – The tides are changing, and a Qatari investment firm has plenty to do with it. Al Masdar Investment, chaired by Sheikh Saud bin Abdulaziz Al-Thani, has acquired a 63 percent majority stake in Tyde, the German builder of all-electric hydrofoiling boats best known for The Icon and The Open created with BMW .

The financial boost will give Tyde the momentum it needs to move from its prototype phase into a broader portfolio and pursue a global go-to-market push focused on luxury, commercial, and urban marine mobility.

The company is already setting a precedent in yachting with a zero-emission, hydrofoil-based fleet that avoids an environment-corrupting footprint. Its vessels consume nearly 80 percent less energy and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by more than 90 percent, while of

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