Since the autumn of 2008, when the first official word came about the Swift141, yacht-watchers have been talking about this refit project. ADMShipyards (then called Abu Dhabi MAR) is now a few months from delivering what will become one of the 10 largest megayachts in the world.
While conversion projects are nothing new, using a former Dutch naval frigate as the basis for a superyacht is certainly novel. The story behind how this came to be is equally noteworthy. The United Arab Emirates Navy acquired the vessel, then 130 meters LOA (426 feet), in 1998 from the Royal Dutch Navy. A new corvette replaced it (along with others) a few years ago, but since the frigate was still structurally sound, it made no sense to scrap it. A Gulf region owner signed on in the fall of 2007 to use the hull for a fast superyacht, and thus the process began: Weapons were removed that same year, and craftsmen stripped down the steel hull in early 2008.
Pierrejean Design Studio was tapped to restyle the yacht and design the interior. He’s wisely preserved the sleekness of the hull, even with the extended LOA of 465 feet. He’s also created an unusually shaped, streamlined superstructure. That superstructure, by the way, is made of composite – the largest ever of that material, in fact. While ADMShipyards can now work with steel, aluminum, and fiberglass in house, it didn’t have the capacity at the time. (The management team does still subcontract, however, on a case-by-case basis.) The Swift141’s superstructure was a collaborative effort among three companies, all in the United States: VectorWorks Marine, Compmillennia, and J. Frank Crane.
PHOTO: DICK HOLTHUIS PHOTOGRAPHY
The hull and superstructure were mated at ADMShipyards last year, and work continues under cover. The slideshow below gives you some idea of the progress so far. Once delivered, the Swift141 should be capable of 26 knots. Beam is 14.2 meters (47 feet), while draft is 4.2 meters (14 feet).
One thing ADMShipyards is not revealing, at least not yet: details on the interior design. It also won’t publicly show the general arrangement of the decks. All it will confirm at this point is that Greenline, Pino Meroni Yacht Interiors, and Metrica are among the companies collaborating on the interior furnishings.
Regardless, more novel than converting the frigate is building a shipyard from the ground up for that purpose. ADMShipyards was established in early 2008 specifically to construct the Swift141 and the Swift135, measuring 445 feet LOA and similarly employing a Dutch frigate hull. The yard is located opposite Port Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s main shipping terminal. Construction on facilities is ongoing, but it already has an 800-ton TraveLift and a 12,000-ton floating drydock. It also has additional yacht projects underway, including a 53-meter (174-foot) power catamaran, constructed of aluminum.
More on the Swift141 when additional photos and details are available. Enjoy the slideshow for now.
PHOTOS: DICK HOLTHUIS PHOTOGRAPHY
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