A 226-foot (69-meter) megayacht has been ordered for the ruling family of Qatar and will be constructed entirely within the Persian Gulf state’s borders.
According to the Qatar News Agency, Sheikh Mohammed bin Fahd Al Thani, the minister of state, signed the agreement on Tuesday with Nakilat Damen Shipyards Qatar (NDSQ). “This is the first yacht of this kind to be built in Qatar and in favor of Qatar,” he was quoted as saying.
While details on the amenities and layout were not revealed, NDSQ is well-versed in steel, aluminum, and fiberglass and builds military and commercial vessels to 558 feet (170 meters). NDSQ is a joint venture between the Qatar Gas Transport Company (Nakilat) and Damen Shipyards Qatar Holding, the latter a subsidiary of the Damen Shipyards Group. Damen Shipyards Group is further the parent company of Amels. NDSQ began operations in 2010, following a memorandum of understanding signed in 2009. Under that agreement, NDSQ would built steel and aluminum megayachts, in addition to commercial, naval, and Coast Guard vessels, in the Port of Ras Laffen, in northeastern Qatar.
NDSQ’s website states that the megayacht construction and refit facilities were opened just last year. Called the Super Yacht Hall, the construction area focuses on both yacht-support vessels and more traditional-looking megayachts. The NDSQ webpage devoted to these yachts employs a photo of the well-known Garçon (pictured), the Sea Axe Fast Yacht Support Vessel project built by Damen and marketed by Amels. The use of Garçon as an example of a yacht project should not come as a surprise, given that NDSQ shipbuilding projects also feature Damen’s designs.
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