Damen Yachting celebrates milestone steel cutting of new YS 53 design
by Amels and Damen Yachting 16 Feb 2022 01:02 PST
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Damen Yachting has introduced a brand new design in its Yacht Support range - the YS 53 series. The first build of the completely new 53-metre vessel (175 ft) will be delivered in 2023.
Offering the most seriously fun set-up you can dream of, the YS 53 supports today's most innovative Owners with thrilling mega-tenders, mesmerising ocean adventures and unforgettable celebrations on board.
Strategic shift
Following a 2-year design and development phase, the first steel cutting at Damen Yachting's Antalya facility brings the YS 53 to life. The YS 53 replaces the original Yacht Support YS 5009, which debuted in 2009 based on workboat platforms from Damen's commercial division. To date, Damen Yachting has sold almost 20 Yacht Support vessels as well as providing ongoing global support and refit services for its fleet. However, the new YS 53 marks a significant shift in Damen Yachting's strategy, as Rob Luijendijk, Director Sales and Product Management, explains.
"Over the last decade we've helped Owners to realise an amazing variety of very challenging dreams," Rob says. "Each dream requires an innovative solution for something that has never been done before. So we have a very experienced team and a deep understanding of how to support our clients. We realised that our new series needed to be both highly flexible and customisable, but also designed from scratch for the yachting market. That's how the YS 53 began."
Design features
To create the YS 53, Damen Yachting went back to the drawing board. An inhouse team of naval architects developed a completely new hull form in collaboration with the Damen Research Laboratory in the Netherlands. The YS 53 is strongly focussed on highly demanding performance, efficiency and comfort with a wide range of upgraded features for the yachting lifestyle. Damen Yachting has also completed the exterior and interior design.
"The YS 53 exterior design starts with a familiar functionality, but there is more than meets the eye," says Wouter Kleijpoel, the Design Manager who led the team of Damen Yachting designers who created the concept. "It's playful, muscular and emboldening, you believe anything is possible. I think it's an exciting design."
Under 500 Gross Tonnage, the YS 53 will carry 6 to 12 guests or up to 16 staff, plus captain and crew. The vessel features a huge 15-tonne deck crane (33,000 pounds) and two Rolls Royce MTU main engines delivering a total 4,480 kW (6,000 horsepower) for a top speed of 19 knots. The vessel will also be fully IMO Tier III compliant, reducing harmful emissions by 70% for full range operations.
Family heritage
The YS 53 is built by Damen Yachting, the yacht building division of the global Damen Shipyards Group. A family business for almost a century, Damen grew from a simple boat builder to a global multinational with 35 shipyards around the world, delivering more than 6,500 ships of all shapes and sizes - including the most high-tech naval ships and offshore research ships. With the Damen family's entrepreneurial spirit, Damen Yachting focuses on yachting solutions, including Amels superyachts, SeaXplorer expedition yachts and the Yacht Support range.