Less than three months after its official public unveiling, Ghost Yachts has a build partner for its first project: Jongert Shipyard.
In an exclusive interview with Megayacht News in December, Ghost Yachts’ managing director, Björn Moonen, explained how he set out to create a megayacht that would not only meet market demands accommodations-wise for guests and crew alike, but also be more advanced in its efficiency and environmental friendliness. The G180, a 55-meter (180-foot) semicustom motoryacht, was the result. A major selling point of the project is the fast displacement hull form, developed by the naval-architecture firm Van Oossanen & Associates. In short, it offers the speed benefits of semidisplacement hulls yet the range and fuel burn of a full-displacement form. (Read the interview linked above to get the full details.) After meetings with a few shipyards to gauge interest in partnering, Moonen found Jongert to be best suited to his vision.
While a few factors drove the decision, including Holland’s reputation in the superyacht world, there were two in particular that stood out in his mind. First, because the G180 emphasizes ecological efficiency, Moonen believed his shipyard partner’s operations should reflect the same philosophy. In a statement, he says, “All Jongert’s suppliers and subcontractors are located within a radius of 100 kilometers of the shipyard. The yacht will be built from hull to finish on the same location.” Another major factor is the new ownership of the yard, partly comprised by Rabobank, which has a AAA credit rating from Standard & Poor’s, DBRS, and Moody’s. Global Finance, which publishes an annual list of the world’s safest banks, ranks it number six in the world, adding to Moonen’s comfort. “The confidence in the technical capability of a company is as important as the financial stability, the certainty of a well-oiled organization and the trust in the management,” he says. “The takeover and the subsequent reorganization have made the company stronger than ever.”
Folkert Brongers, general manager for Jongert, states, “A yacht like the G180 has never been built before,” and looks forward to tackling the novel hull design, once a contract is signed by an owner.
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