[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Dutsch shipyard has just announced its intention to open a new construction and refit facility in Amsterdam. After only few days from the World Superyacht Award received for the 101.50-metre Symphony, the decision reinforces the leading luxury motoryacht brand’s commitment to meet a growing demand for ever larger 100-metre plus custom Feadships. [highlight color=”yellow”]Due to open in 2019, the fourth Feadship facility will have the capacity to build Feadships of up to 160 metres in length.[/highlight]
“We are delighted to have found such an excellent spot to open this new facility,” comments Feadship director Jan-Bart Verkuyl. “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 100 metres. This is especially pertinent with Symphony – the largest Feadship launched to date – winning the prestigious World Superyacht Award. The luxury yacht market is evolving and, as we have done for decades, Feadship continues to lead the way.”
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, with 450 skilled employees from a wide range of outfitting and refit disciplines moving between the facilities as and when required. [highlight color=”yellow”]A further 150 new jobs will be created for highly skilled yacht builders[/highlight], a demand which will in part be met by the award-winning Feadship training schools and give a considerable boost to the Dutch capital’s economy.
Along with the Koninklijke De Vries yards in Aalsmeer and Makkum, the new yard in Amsterdam brings the total number of Feadship facilities in the Netherlands to four. Feadship has worked closely with the Amsterdam municipality and port authorities in finding the prime new location, which is just 20 minutes away from Schiphol Amsterdam Airport.
A start will be made with laying the foundations of the yard this summer, with construction of the actual facilities beginning in 2017. They will include a giant 5500-square-metre construction hall with a height of 28 metres, along with a dry dock and ten separate workshops. The Amsterdam yard’s length of 170 metres will be able to accommodate [highlight color=”yellow”]new builds of up to 160 metres[/highlight] along with refits of existing Feadships. At the same time as the build of the new Amsterdam yard commences, the Kaag Island facility and its waterfront will be given a comprehensive refurbishment. The Kaag yard will remain the primary hub of operations for Royal van Lent and the first port of call for meeting potential new clients.