48m Lilium getting ready for launch at Bilgin Yachts

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]urkish yard Bilgin Yachts is preparing for the launch of its new build, M/Y 156-II. Named Lilium, the new 48m is the third yacht currently under development at the yard; this month she is undergoing sea trials before heading to the South of France to make her public debut at the 2019 Monaco Yacht Show.

The 80-metre Bilgin 263-I is expected to accompany the yacht in Monaco, as the shipyard is planning to have two debuts during the show. “The Bilgin 156-II is named after the beautiful white flower Lilium as a sign of our promise to the yacht owners: A sunny and happy day on a deck”, comments İsmail Şengün, CEO of Bilgin Yachts.

“It is always exciting to see the end result of our designs. After the success of Nerissa, we can’t wait  to see how Lilium will affect the ones who see her. She is a proud example of today’s globally recognized Turkish craftmanship.” says Emrecan Özgün, Founder and CEO of Istanbul-based design office Unique Yacht Design. The interior design of Bilgin Yachts, İlkay Dovan tells that she wanted to create a peaceful brightness in living areas: “We tried to imagine even the tiniest details through the look of a kaleidoscope. It was a challenging process to create luminous effect while deciding on proportion of each material.”

Lilium has slight differences than her sistership Nerissa, which made her debut in 2017 Monaco Yacht Show: totally different is certainly the galley and the interior, where the color palette mostly includes white and golden touches.

Like her sistership Nerissa, Lilium will also be powered by twin 1,475hp MTU 12V2000 M72 diesel engines and is expected to have a top speed f 16 knots and a maximum range in excess of  4,000 nautical miles at her cruising speed of 12 knots.

Alongside this 48-metre yacht, Bilgin Yachts has currently built two units of the 80-metre Bilgin 263 series. The first hull of Bilgin 263 will be available for delivery in 2019, while the second hull is planned to be launched in 2020.