It is Day #3 of our Holland Tour and we moved to the south, to Vlissingen, a small city with direct access the North Sea, where Amels-Damen has its own historical HQ. Damen Yachting, differently from. the shipyard is surrounded by historic places and buildings. Before it officially became a city in 1315, Vlissingen was a thriving fishing port on the North Sea. From the 14th Century it became increasingly important as a centre for building warships for the Dutch Admiralty and trading vessels for the Dutch West India Company.
HISTORY /// Damen Yachting’s superyacht story spans generations and its rich history dates back to the foundation of Amels in 1918, and Damen in 1927. Vlissingen, for centuries the heart of Dutch shipbuilding, is the former Royal Schelde yard, acquired by Damen in 2000. The Damen family continued the tradition of local shipbuilding expertise and to all their first-time visitors they show their historic Royal Schelde headquarters at the yard. The Damen family acquired Amels in 1991, and since then they continued to invest in its yacht building business, which is today a cornerstone of its iconic shipbuilding group.
Our visit at the Damen Yachting starts with a talk with Haico van Roeden, Technical Manager Design & Proposal, who introducing the business lines of the shipyard, specifies that all their clients are generally family-oriented, with a very private life, who approaches to the choice of buying a new yacht as a joyful moment to share together and aimed at living new experiences that will enrich their family memories. The new boat each client commissions to Damen Yachting wants to be an almost olistic experience, made cup of different values, where the shipyard, learning from captains and crew, fine-tunes new projects with their clients, consider all aspects of the life-cycle of a yacht, including the environmental consciousness, introduces the client to his personal experience with the building process in terms of design but also technologies, innovation and materials.
BUSINESS /// Taking over his father’s shipyard in 1969 with six employees, Kommer Damen has grown the business into Damen Shipyards Group, the world’s leading specialist shipbuilder with 12,000 employees and 35 shipyards around the globe. Damen builds everything from navy ships to tug boats. To this day, Damen remains a family-owned business.
Rose Damen, a third generation family shareholder, is Managing Director of Damen Yachting, the groups’ brand under which other 3 important brands are developed, across 5 shipyards, two of them are based in The Netherlands, Vlissingen, home of Amels superyachts, and Vlissingen East, a refit and new build outfitting location with a covered area up to 200 metres in length. Then there are other 3 yards abroad, where Damen Yachting has developed its business: Gdynia, a location in Poland fully dedicated to Amels hull building, especially Key to Limited Editions production. Antalya, in Turkey, project location for Yacht Support vessels and Xplorer expedition yachts, and thirdly, Galati, in Romania, project site for large and custom yacht hulls, the largest of Damen Shipyards Group’s 35 shipyards around the world with a workforce of 4,000 people on a huge 45 hectare site.
BRANDS AND SERVICES /// Damen Yachting offers three different lines of yachts, each designed and built under a specific brand: Amels, Explorer and Yacht Support.
With the Amels brand, Damen Yachting builds the Amels 60 Limited Edition series, traditional semi-custom yachts blending heritage with sophisticated technology. The Amels 80 Limited Edition is shaping the future of luxury yachting. With evolution in her DNA, she captures the evolution and elegance of modern yachting at its essence. Her sophisticated and sustainable design is guaranteed to stand the test of time. This 80-metre series combines exclusive know-how and proven innovation to create an even more enjoyable yachting experience.
Full Custom is the name of the third line belonging to the Amels series, where the company and its all team of superyacht experts concentrate their long expertise in shipbuilding and their custom-building heritage in favour of one-off yachts built to the Owner’s unique requirements. Damen Yachting can build any kind of design but expresses its preference towards types of construction that are not too extravagant, not for a question of style but because it prefers to stay within its specific skills and platforms for greater reliability towards the client.
The culmination of the Amels Full Custom business line is represented by the new flagship, nothing less than a full custom 120-metre gigayacht, known as Project Tanzanite, whose contract was originally signed in 2020, and that when delivered in 2025, will be not only the largest Amels to date, but the largest superyacht built in the Netherlands.
She features a striking five-deck exterior design by Espen Øino and Naval Architecture by Damen Yachting. For the interior of Project Tanzanite, Zuretti Design has meticulously curated the interiors, showcasing attention to detail that seamlessly blends delicate touches with bold contrasts.
Now in Vlissingen, her hull was built at the facility of Damen Shipyards in Galati. As the future flagship of Damen Yachting, this 120-metre incorporates the latest in design and technology features. To limit her impact on the environment, the superyacht will be powered by diesel electric propulsion powering the Kongsberg Elegance® pods. She is set to operate with the lowest levels of noise and vibration ever recorded on a yacht of this size.
The second business line is represented by the Explorer range, offering a 60, 80 and a 105 design. Since each owner has his own idea of exploration, Damen Yachting builds explorers on-spec up to 60 meters. Any project that goes beyond this size id developed together with the client.
With exterior lines inspired by the natural world, the range of Xplorers, previously known as SeaXplorer, have been built to go further. They bring together everything owners need to venture far and wide with superyacht luxury and complete autonomy. Currently under construction, the Xplorer 6001 is the first luxury expedition yacht in Damen Yachting’s Xplorer 60 series, and it will be launched this week, marking a significant milestone for the life of the yard. A second unit is in build on spec.
This exceptional vessel offers the chance to explore the globe with unparalleled style and comfort. The ideal 60-metre luxury explorer yacht for any Owner looking to push the boundaries of conventional superyachting. With her eye-catching, bold exterior, luxurious interior and ocean-going capabilities, the opportunities with this Xplorer 60 are endless. The Xplorer 60 inherits an award-winning design legacy from both the original Xplorer 58 PINK SHADOW design and the Xplorer 77 LA DATCHA. The result of a collaborative effort with Damen Yachting’s exterior design partner for the series Azure Yacht Design.
The Xplorer 80 is the latest addition to Damen Yachting’s renowned Xplorer range. This all-new 80-meter design offers unparalleled capabilities and a redefined explorer yachting experience. The Xplorer 80 boasts extended range and advanced technologies, allowing owners to venture further, explore remote destinations in ultimate comfort and style. Renowned Naval Architects, Azure Yacht Design was selected to refine the exterior lines of this iconic explorer yacht. While retaining the signature bow, observation lounge, enclosed wheelhouse, and crow’s nest – hallmarks of the original award-winning SeaXplorer DNA – the design boasts a more contemporary and elegant aesthetic. Furthermore, the Xplorer 80 offers a unique level of personalisation with alternative exterior designs by esteemed architects Espen Øino and Harrison Eidsgaard. This unparalleled flexibility allows clients to create an explorer yacht that perfectly reflects their individual vision and style.
The Yacht Support line empowers owners with the freedom to experience yachting exactly how they envision it. The Yacht Support vessels are designed for those who lead active, dynamic lifestyles and have a specific mission in mind. Whether clients crave adventure, relaxation, or a combination of both, Yacht Support provides the capability and multifunctionality to bring their yachting dreams to life.
The Damen Yachting Yacht Support 65m represents a new design in support vessel technology, offering a multitude of functionalities and an abundance of space for tenders and water toys.
The generous deck space allows owners to bring along a wide range of equipment, from smaller boats and jet skis to submersibles and diving gear, enhancing the overall yachting experience. A particularly noteworthy feature is the helideck, which is not only spacious but also designed to accommodate a roll-in helicopter hangar. This innovative design eliminates the need for folding rotor blades, simplifying helicopter storage and deployment, and making it even easier to use a helicopter for exploration and transportation.
The YS65 is a popular and versatile model in the Yacht Support range, whose primary role is to act as a support platform for the main mother superyacht. This allows the main yacht to focus on luxury and guest experience, while the support vessel handles the more practical aspects of yachting.
For this line, currently in build there are the third hull of the 53-metre Yacht Support, which will be launched very soon, and two other units on spec, a 65 and a 67 meters.
Regarding the refit services, these are essential to Damen Yachting, it is a way to bring their vessel home and expanding their clients base, since refit services are also offers to other brands’ vessels. Also in the refit services, Damen Yachting preserves their Dutch quality, without trying to compete in the market in terms of costs. For the company the refit service also represents an interesting tool to understand where to keep up to improve and test new methods for recycling materials.
Regarding the visit at the yard and its sheds, guided by Pim Nordt, Event Manager, and Maria Stokvis, PR & Communications Manager, we can say that the new flagship is impactful, a super big construction which made it necessary to organize the project management activity with two managers, in order to guarantee time, costs and accurate monitoring of all processes.
Important works are underway on the quay that connects the canal to the sea access, to allow the docking of the new 120 meter vessel as soon as it comes to light: the dock needs to be extended by 150 meters and for a short period of time cruising along the canal won’t be allowed to the public.