UPDATE, JUNE 2, 2015: The buyer for Project Zeus bowed out of the contract a few months ago, so she is for sale. The hull has been completed and is anticipated to arrive at Hakvoort in August. No further work will be finished until a new buyer steps in.
Read on for the original article.
Impatient yacht-watchers won’t like having to wait until early 2017 to see this megayacht launch from Hakvoort Shipyard. But, there’s good reason. At 207’8” (63.3 meters), she’s the largest Hakvoort to date, and she necessitates an expansion of the shipyard’s facilities.
To put the project, code-named Zeus for now, into perspective, you need to review Hakvoort’s origins and recent history. Always a family-operated builder, it dates back to 1919. Because of a desire to be more competitive in the upper-megayacht size range, it has expanded its footprint more than once. In 2009, for example, Hakvoort raised the roof of its main construction hall to accommodate megayachts rising four decks high. In January 2012, a new slipway was finished, for yachts to 207 feet (63 meters) LOA and with a beam of 39’4” (12 meters). It also upgraded the power supply throughout its facilities.
The timing was right, because Hakvoort signed a contract for a 200-footer (61-meter) last summer. That was to be its largest megayacht to date—until Project Zeus, of course, which will further bear a 37’1” (11.3-meter) beam and 10’7” (3.25-meter) draft.
Similar to the 200-footer, Project Zeus features naval architecture by Diana Yacht Design and interior design by Sinot Yacht Design. However, the owner tapped René van der Velden for styling, having worked with him over several years prior. Van der Velden explains that the owner admires an early 20th-century design style called streamlining. It emphasizes sleek, seamless shapes and aerodynamic forms. Streamlining really took hold in the 1930s, particularly in automotive design, but even architecture and household products like toasters.
Given the emphasis on a streamlined body, Project Zeus might lead you to believe that tender stowage is in a garage, out of sight. On the contrary, the megayacht’s two 29’5” (9-meter) tenders will be on the main deck. According to van der Velden, the owner knows launching large toys can be a challenge, so it was a deliberate choice. While this in turn means less room for the usual features of a megayacht’s main deck, it wasn’t a concern for the owner. The upper deck will house the main saloon forward, yet still include a skylounge aft. The skylounge can be an indoor-outdoor area, too. The main deck will therefore include just the owner’s suite, the captain’s cabin, and the galley. Other features: a bridge-deck gym, further an indoor-outdoor area when wanted; and a beach club with a sauna.
Project Zeus, to be classed to Lloyds and additionally have an ice-class steel hull, should see a 15-knot top end a 12.5-knot cruise speed. Power comes courtesy of twin Caterpillar 3512C diesels. A transatlantic range of 5,000 nautical miles should be possible at 12 knots.
Leave a Reply