If you see this unusual vessel in your travels around the Med, don’t be fooled. She’s not a commercial ship. Instead, she’s a shadow yacht for a superyacht. Specifically, she’s the first of the Sea Axe superyacht support vessels from the Fast Yacht Support series by Amels.
Sea Axe derives from the Axe Bow vessel by Amels’ parent company, Damen Shipyard Group. To date, Damen has delivered 18. They’re for commercial and military applications for consistent speed and reliable performance, including fuel efficiency, regardless of weather conditions.
Even though the knife-like bow seems similar to the design of other yachts in recent years, they’re not the same. Accordin to Damen, it developed the Axe Bow design with Delft University of Technology in 1995. The goal was to create a proprietary design embodying the benefits above while simultaneously reducing negative impact on personnel. This was especially important for crews transiting to offshore rigs and/or other locations. Crew-supply boats run literally thousands of hours each year in various conditions, but traditional bow and hull designs run the risk of causing seasickness when things get rough. They also risk slamming and the vessel therefore needing to reduce speed. This costs time, and ultimately money. Damen and the university staff found that bows with fine entries and deep forefoots performed best in both smooth and rough waters, additionally resisting broaching in the latter.
Now, yacht owners and crew obviously avoid poor sea conditions when possible. However, the owner of the Sea Axe superyacht support vessel seen here can take comfort knowing she can operate at 20-knot-plus speeds in various conditions. Her top speed is 28 knots, and transatlantic speed is 18 knots. Amels refers to her as Sea Axe 5009 Oberon. She measures 50 meters (164 feet) and has 30 meters (98 feet) of open deck space. She also can carry everything from a helicopter to extra toys and tenders. A 14-ton-capacity crane handles the assortment. There’s also the possibility of the Sea Axe 5009 Oberon storing extra fuel and/or waste from the yacht she accompanies.
Although Amels didn’t reveal the name or LOA of that yacht, it did disclose last summer that the owner of a 300-foot-plus superyacht commissioned two of the first Sea Axe vessels. Regardless, a dozen additional crew and members of the owner’s staff also have accommodations, with their staterooms outfitted to yacht standards.
More Sea Axe superyacht support vessels are under contract, with some bearing yacht-standard paint jobs and even artificial teak decks, for a look that complements the owners’ primary yachts. Amels says that further customization is also possible, to allow things like even more accommodations for crew and/or staff.
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