Feadship. Damen. Oceanco. Heesen. Abeking & Rasmussen. Lurssen.
Take a deep dive and follow Y.CO as they go behind the scenes to learn more about the world's most elite shipyards and why they remain the best of the best. This is Yellow Tour 2024.
Setting off on the Yellow Tour, Y.CO Co-Founders Charlie, Gary, and the sales team took to the road to begin their whistle-stop tour of some of the most revered shipbuilders in the industry. Starting at Feadship, then onto Damen, Oceanco, Heesen, Abeking & Rasmusen, and ending with Lürssen. These world-renowned shipbuilders pride themselves on quality, expert craftsmanship, and an ethos driven by the pursuit of excellence. Finding the opportunity to get on the ground and collaborate in-person with these innovative yacht brands was a privilege. Working side-by-side. Sharing ideas. Strengthening relationships. Yellow Tour 2024 was an energising experience for all involved.
The Yellow Tour begins at Feadship, starting with Royal Van Lent in Kaag. With their conception dating back to the 19th century, this shipyard has a rich history and is often regarded as the benchmark in the superyacht industry. Their reputation is built on Dutch prestige, transparency, and by pushing to achieve the unachievable. To kickstart their visit, Y.CO was warmly welcomed by CEO, Jan-Bart, and Sales Director, Maarten Janssen. Van Lent is solely dedicated to custom build motor yachts, so the tour began with a presentation familiarising our brokers with exciting custom new builds currently underway, before moving onto a walk-through of the shed. With an order book that is full to the brim, Van Lent have cemented themselves as one of the most adept shipyards for the 80m+ range.
The Yellow Tour proceeded on to the sister shipyard, Feadship De Vries in Aalsmeer. Here they were joined by Feadship members from the commercial and technical teams, with a presentation detailing their efforts around incorporating sustainability and innovation into their yacht builds. De Vries are striving to make active change in the industry by pioneering the shift to Diesel-Electric propulsion. This example demonstrates the capabilities that yacht design holds, to progress technology in radical ways that will see the yachting community experience a new kind of luxury leisure. As a shipyard renowned for finding simplicity in complexity, and an unwavering commitment to achieving perfection, Feadship are propelling the yachting industry into a new era.
Feadship 80m. Delivery 2026.
Y.CO was given a tour of the 75m Feadship 825 – also known as ONE, which is currently in outfitting and due to be delivered in 2025. By offering detail walk-through tours, the team can see, touch, and envisage the potential of each yacht and get a real sense for the materials and character. Y.CO will represent their client for new build management on the 80m motor yacht Thalassa, which will succeed One and enter the Feadship yard in 2025, with delivery set for 2026.
Y.CO has also collaborated with De Vries on a 60m custom new build with a strong focus on green technologies onboard and will take development over four years from concept to completion. After a successful design phase, the build will now commence, resulting in the delivery of an industry leading yacht for the client.
Y.CO arrived in style, with Yellow Tour bus pulling up in front of the Damen Naval Facilities in Vlissingen. Senior members of the Damen team introduced the shipyards origin story, which demonstrated their deep connection to history and heritage craft. Amels, now part of the Damen yachting family, recently celebrated 100 years in industry and continues to produce some of the most impressive yacht new builds to date. Damen’s output in maritime markets is vast, and through acquiring Amels they have cemented their presence in the superyacht industry, whilst preserving a pedigree brand. CEO Jan Willem VanHogerwou led the tour around the Damen shed.
Damen is renowned for the superyacht series 60, 80 and full custom builds, and essentially consists of three yacht brands - Amels, Xplorer, and Yacht Support - each with distinctive qualities that sees their reputation exceed limitations. With each brand demonstrating a unique design aesthetic, paired with a clear function and sense of usability, each one speaks to the experienced clientele who prospect with a specific use in mind. Damen shipyard is groundbreaking, resilient, and continues to evolve in the superyacht industry whilst retaining an approach to yacht building that remains meticulous and holistic. Their craftspeople work in a tidy and clean manner, demonstrating an exceptionally high standard that is upheld at every touch point.
Damen 120m. Delivery 2025.
With a length reaching 120m, new megayacht Tanzanite will become Damen's Flagship full custom superyacht. She is the largest Amels yacht built to date, and currently the largest in construction in the Netherlands. Spanning five decks, and with Espen Øino at the helm of the exterior design, she is set to make an exciting launch. Advancing the shift to sustainable operations, she will feature new concept Kongsberg Elegance pods that enable her to operate with lowest levels of noise and vibration ever recorded.
Adopting a swift change of scenery, Y.CO hopped off the bus and were transported to Oceanco by water taxi ride through Rotterdam. Disembarking at the Oceanco shipyard dock, they were presently greeted by the sales and marketing team, along with cameras, drones, and welcome presents - it felt like a star-studded arrival! Shortly after they headed to the main offices, with a genial reception and an opportunity for the teams to reconnect, along with the Oceanco | Y.CO Beneath The Surface ‘premiere’ playing in the background. The morning was spent learning about Oceanco’s story and their specialist services, followed by team-building exercise. Everyone was split into three groups and asked to work through the yacht design process from different perspectives. Collaboration sits at the heart of the Y.CO approach, so this part of the day was thoroughly enjoyed by all.
Oceanco 110m. Delivery 2025.
The Oceanco tour of the 110m Y722 commenced with a treasure hunt. Quiz questions were spread along the tour route, creating friendly competition between the brokers and producing a fun and engaging experience. The following day the team was invited to dine on Tranquility, a Y.CO yacht currently in for refit, before viewing several other yachts at the Zwijnrecht facilities. Y722 is an extraordinary project, with allusion to some radical changes occurring that will reimagine a yacht’s typical layout - marking her as a visionary new build that will challenge perceptions of traditional yacht design. After eventful day, both teams headed to La Barrage for a fantastic dinner.
With a longstanding relationship spanning many years, Y.CO reunited with Heesen shipyard at their dock in Rijnstraat. Whether it’s working on new builds at the shipyard, or going off-piste on the ski slopes together, what is apparent is that this partnership surpasses the boundaries of the workplace and because of that, many visionary yachts are built through this unique synergy. Heesen deliver yachts of the highest quality, with innovative technology and short delivery times, offering a rare combination of attributes that are hard to find in the yacht industry.
Heesen 55m. Delivery 2025.
Currently for sale and due for delivery in 2025, Heesen’s 55m steel series superyacht Agnetha is built following this iconic shipyard’s philosophy – design with flow and simplicity. With her exterior design penned by Omega Architects, she features expansive exterior spaces and panoramic views thanks to her innovative column-free superstructure. Agnetha feels powerful and elegant, with ultra-sleek lines and the creative use of seamless tinted glass, she’s undoubtedly striking. Conceived by Omega Architects, she’s as stylish as she is functional and offers guests an aesthetic like no other.
Abeking & Rasmussen’s build experience lies in commercial and military grade ships. By developing an experienced Research and Development team, they have excelled at yacht design over the years with pertinent focus to the evolution of materials and processes. Whether it’s the adoption of alternative metal welding techniques capable of producing unique hull forms, or the implementation of new technologies such as their SWATH@A&R project, Abeking & Rasmussen always deliver yachts with a thorough and dependable approach. Starting off with a “meet and greet” the teams were acquainted ahead of the presentation of A&R’s latest models, namely the new build 118m superyacht LIVO.O.
Abeking & Rasmussen 118m. Delivered 2023.
Abeking & Rasmussen have a vast range of different sized sheds, outfit facilities and docks. Their perfect yacht range sits between 60m-100m builds but they can accommodate up to 125m, exemplified by their flagship superyacht Liva O that sits at 118m. A&R pride themselves in specializing in refit projects due to fast access to yacht parts and excellent craftsmanship. A&R also partners with local schools to run an internship programme that inspires young people to learn craft skills of the trade. This is an insightful initiative that addresses the social limitations present in yacht building and addresses the necessity of up-skilling young people, with the intention of nurturing a future generation of craftsmen.
Visiting Lürssen is always impressive, with precise organisation and efficiency at the forefront of their operations. Y.CO received a huge welcome from the whole team, and they started off the day with an introduction from Sales Directors Michael Breman and Alberto Perrone, who explained Lürssen’s history and their ambitious vision for the future. They are a unique shipyard that produces almost all of the yacht components themselves. This is typically outsourced to smaller shipyards, but Lürssen instead maintains the highest quality at the most granular detail. And it shows. Their attention to detail is unparalleled, leading to some astronomically impressive superyachts including Flying Fox and Azzam.
Lürssen 142m. Delivered 2024.
Mike Gregory (Fly Fleet), Donna Green (Y.CO), and Michael Breman (Lürssen) gave the perfect tour around 142m motor yacht Dragonfly, which was successfully delivered to her owner in 2024. Featuring Lürssen’s signature elongated bow, she feels bold and sophisticated with a military edge, and accommodates up to 24 guests across 12 suites. The day ended with a tour around Dragonfly followed by drinks, and a cooking class in the evening.
Feadship, Amels, Oceanco, Heesen, A&R, and Lürssen
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