By Robert Wielaard (additions by: Lori Ashton)
Due to open in 2019, the new yard will have the capacity to build yachts up to 160m
Feadship Royal Dutch Shipyards has announced plans to build a fourth construction and refit facility in the Netherlands. The new yard is set to meet growing demand for larger yachts.
Due to open in the Port of Amsterdam in 2019, the fourth Feadship facility will be able to build yachts of up to 160m (525ft). The Dutch shipyard has worked closely with local and port authorities in finding the new location, which is just 20 minutes away from Schiphol Amsterdam Airport.
The announcement reflects Feadship’s upbeat outlook for the future. Its order book now has 17 yachts spanning 1.2km (almost 4,000ft). Ten orders are for yachts longer than 100m (328ft). Other Dutch yards, among them Oceanco and Heesen Yachts, are also expanding their facilities.
“The market is moving towards larger yachts and Feadship will increase its output of yachts of 90m (295ft) and more in the coming years,” says Feadship marketing and brand manager Farouk Nefzi.
In 2015, Feadship delivered its largest yacht to date, the 101.5m (333ft) Symphony.
The new facility in Amsterdam will be the second yard to be run by Royal Van Lent, which will also continue to operate its Kaag Island yard at full capacity. The two facilities will share the same management team and corporate culture.
Commenting on the announcement, Feadship director Jan-Bart Verkuyl says: “The ever-increasing demands for pure custom Feadships and the desire among clients to own very large yachts of Feadship quality make this a logical next step in the future-proofing of our organisation.
“Along with the Makkum yard, Feadship now has two facilities capable of building superyachts of well over 100m. This is especially pertinent with Symphony, the largest Feadship launched to date.”
Feadship says 450 skilled employees from a wide range of outfitting and refit disciplines will be moving between the facilities as and when required. In addition, another 150 new jobs will be created for highly skilled yacht builders, a demand which will in part be met by the Feadship training schools and give a considerable boost to the Dutch capital’s economy.
Feadship now makes pure custom yachts at Aalsmeer and Kaag island, just south of Amsterdam, and at Makkum, 60km (40 miles) north of the Dutch capital.
Joshua Lee, Founder and Managing Director of Lee Marine in Phuket, Thailand has successfully sold a 69.5 meter Feadship new construction project, which is already one year in construction at Aalsmeer. “Like all Feadship custom created yachts, the element of individuality is stunning,” Lee says and adds, “the Feadship team is committed with strong ethics and top professionalism. The inherent quality of each Feadship build is evident as you step aboard.”
Linking the new Feadship yard to the North Sea is a 20km (14 mile) deepwater seaway. Construction starts in 2017. The construction hall at the new yard will be 28m (92ft) high, 27m (89ft) wide and 170m (558ft) long.
The site is due to enter operation in 2019, the same year as work on a new coastal sealock – the world’s largest – will be completed. It will be 70m (230ft) wide, 500m (1,640ft) long and 18m (59ft) deep.