Yacht news

Yacht captain Stephen Crone has shared shocking photos of a fire on board the 75m sailing yacht Enigma (ex. Phocea) in Langkawi. She was built by DCAN in 1976 and features classic Tim Heywood’s exterior design. With a beam of 9.57m and a draft of 6.13m, she has a steel hull and aluminium superstructure. Enigma can accommodate twelve guests in six cabins. She’s powered by 1056-hp engines, giving her a maximum speed of 14 knots and a cruising speed of 12 knots. Credits: Asian Yacht Crew/Facebook

The team at Amels and Damen Yachting has confirmed the sale of the 55m Yacht Support Gene Chaser. The name of the yacht was unveiled during a private ceremony held at the Dutch builder’s shipyard in Vlissingen. Complete with stunning custom fleet colours and a research laboratory, this Yacht Support will be used alongside the Amels 180 Gene Machine.Gene Chaser, from Damen Yachting’s YS 5009 Yacht Support range, was originally launched in late 2020 as Blue Ocean. Over the last two months, she has undergone a period of intense transformation to meet the owner’s exacting requirements for setting up the interior as a working research laboratory and hub for ongoing scientific projects. The main salon has been converted into a working wet and dry laboratory, and other interior areas have been designed for conferences and educational purposes. Guest suites allow for eight visiting researchers and experts, while the crew areas can now accommodate a crew of seven and four full-time scientists. The substantial 225-square-meter exterior deck, with a high-performance knuckle-boom 13-t capacity crane, provides ample space for Gene Machine’s Fjord 42 and a Hatløy Maritime Oxpro AL8 landing craft, as well as additional mission-specific equipment.Matthew Gow, captain of the owner’s 55m yacht Gene Machine, represented this repeat client during the sale. “We’ve achieved an incredible amount of work in a short period of time, and the collaboration with the team at Damen Yachting has been excellent. Watching the transformation take place has been very special and I cannot wait to see Gene Chaser alongside Gene Machine.”Owner Dr. Jonathan Rothberg sums up the motivation behind Gene Chaser. “Coronavirus reminded us of the fragility of our world. Whether it’s a global pandemic or global climate change, each of us must rise to the challenges we face, as we are best prepared. For my family, this means Gene Chaser and her onboard Gene Lab – a next generation lab to address mankind’s greatest challenges. Gene Chaser will be the tip of the spear as we deploy never before available technology to characterise, understand, and expand our knowledge of biodiversity, and identify nature’s solutions – within her genes – to the world’s greatest existential threats.” Dr Rothberg confirms this is also the origin of the name Gene Chaser. “We are going to go after genes to combat global warming and clean up the oceans and the air. That’s why it’s the Gene Chaser. In our planet’s very genes lie the answers to our biggest challenges and the key to our salvation.”Damen Yachting, a division within the Damen Shipyards Group, was created in 2019. The division combines the pedigree and heritage of Amels yachts with a growing portfolio of SeaXplorer yachts and Yacht Support vessels.Credits: Amels

Lürssen has delivered the 142m yacht Nord. This impressive explorer has already started her journey to Gibraltar. Previously known as Opus and Project Redwood, Nord was first announced in December 2015. She was designed by the Italian design studio Nuvolari & Lenard. She spreads across six decks and can accommodate thirty-six guests in twenty staterooms. With the volume 10,000 GT, she is now one of the largest superyachts in the fleet. Lürssen is a German shipyard with headquarters in Bremen-Vegesack and shipbuilding facilities in Lemwerder, Berne and Bremen-Aumund. Founded in 1875, Lürssen is one of the world's leading builders of custom luxury superyachts and has launched many of the largest yachts in the global fleet, including Octopus, Rising Sun, and Azzam.Credits: Lürssen

Gulf Craft is appointing Talal Abdin Nasralla as Chief Executive Officer to drive their new growth strategy. Talal joined Gulf Craft in late 2020 as Chief Strategy Officer. His mission will be to implement the company’s new global growth strategy with a focus on strengthening its continued development and capabilities.Talal Abdin NasrallaTalal has a deep understanding of the UAE market and has worked for some of the key players in the banking sector. Starting his career as a Business Development Officer at DMCC’s Dubai Diamond Exchange, he was also Director of the Executive Office at Shuaa Capital PSC, playing a key role in fundraising and managing large-scale projects in the hospitality and real estate sectors. Before joining the Gulf Craft, he was Director of Private Banking at Barclays PLC. Gulf Craft’s Chairman Mohammed H. Alshaali said: “Building on our nearly four decades of heritage in yacht and boat manufacturing, we are now focused on an expansion strategy that will take the Gulf Craft brand to new territories globally. Talal, who brings over 15 years of experience, will lead our management team to strengthen the company’s position as a global industry leader.”Abeer Alshaali said: “In my interim role as acting CEO, we built a professional and strong management team that can lead our company into the next level of growth. With the shifts the industry has seen recently, we are now focused on diversifying our product lines. Talal has developed a roadmap for Gulf Craft’s growth, and he will focus on delivering it.”Since the company’s inception in 1982, Gulf Craft has grown to become one of the top seven shipyards in the world: once a builder of small fishing boats in modest premises, a genuine passion for the sealed Gulf Craft, they then established their credentials as a leader of innovation and technology in the yachting industry. With five brands in the product portfolio, ranging from 31 to 175 feet, Gulf Craft manufactures yachts and boats that appeal to a wide audience such as touring passenger vessels, Silvercraft family day boats, Oryx Sport Cruisers, Nomad Explorer Yachts, and the flagship Majesty Yachts.Credits: Gulf Craft

Zeelander Yachts offers new design features developed from customisation requests in the market for mid-sized motor yachts. From a state-of-the-art boatyard at Groot-Ammers, the experts at Zeelander have developed tailored solutions for its semi-custom range of yachts which include privacy glass and a hydraulic passerelle.Z72 Zeelander’s range extends to three models: the Z44, Z55 and its Z72 flagship. One of the more visible features is a flexible hydraulic passerelle integrated into the curved finish of the Z72’s transom. This slim, elegant option extends at the touch of a button and adjusts smoothly to the height of the dock or quay astern, which is ideally suited to tight stern-to moorings at town quays or busy marinas and is very convenient for those who cruise in the Mediterranean.Privacy glass, tinting with the simple click of a button, can be installed on the aft and side windows on the main deck. Other options include a diving plank, forward-looking sonar and a different bar setup. Zeelander also gives the option of large windows on the Z55 – similar to the Z72 design – whose mullion-free curved glass gives an uninterrupted view for the driver and improves the 360-degree view for guests.“We have always worked closely with our customers to create vessels that are tailored to their personal needs,” says founder Sietse Koopmans. “With our ever-growing clientele, we are continuously developing new features, custom solutions and bespoke options for the most demanding clients, which benefit all future owners as well.”Demand is growing particularly strong in the European market, keeping the yard busy despite the challenges of the pandemic. All Zeelander models can be viewed in-build side-by-side at Zeelander’s Groot-Ammers yard in the Netherlands. And visitors to this year’s Cannes Yachting Festival, which takes place from 7 to 12 September 2021, will be able to tour brand-new Z55 and Z72 yachts.Z72 Zeelander Yachts was founded in 2002 in the Netherlands by Sietse Koopmans. The first model was unveiled to the public in 2008. The launch model Z44 received positive reviews at the Monaco Yacht Show and drew enormous crowds, despite being at an event dominated by much larger yachts. Within three years, the Z44 had been successfully introduced to the US as well as Europe, and it was an obvious direction to add a larger model to the fleet. The first Z55 was delivered in November 2015, and the flagship Z72 was launched in March 2019.Credits: Zeelander Yachts, Jeff Brown