Piriou, the French shipyard behind the expedition vessel Yersin, is counting on its experience constructing naval vessels and workboats to attract yacht owners seeking serious cruisers. It’s formally entering the yachting industry with two new series: Navire de Voyage and Yacht Support Vessel.
Piriou was established 50 years ago and has delivered more than 400 ships to date, up to 394 feet (120 meters). It’s gained fame in yachting in recent months due to the completion of Yersin. The 251-foot (76.6-meter) explorer will take her owner’s family as well as scientists on global voyages.
Piriou considers Yersin the first of its Navire de Voyage (“Travel Ship”) models. They’ll be offered in two LOAs, 253 feet (77 meters) and 312 feet (95 meters). The latter is pictured below. Like Yersin, the Navire de Voyage megayachts will have ice-class hulls and be intended to operate in a variety of conditions. This “all seas, all weather” concept is one of five pillars for the series. The other four are maximum range, cleanship for a clean sea, custom comfort and style, and extreme versatility. For range, the Navire de Voyage 77M should achieve 15,000 nautical miles at 11 knots, while the 95M should see 7,000 nautical miles at 12 knots. “Cleanship” is a specific notation of Bureau Veritas. The yachts will have silicon hull coatings, waste grinding, and additional systems and treatments that meet stringent standards. Comfort and style, of course, mean buyers can tailor the rooms the way they wish. Piriou will equip the yachts with dive compressors, various exploration tenders, and other gear for adventures. The Navire de Voyage 77M accommodates 18 passengers, while the larger model accommodates 16. As for extreme versatility, the ability to cruise polar and tropical regions is a good example. Another is full autonomy for weeks on end. It should be 50 days for the 77M and 20 days for the 95M.
The Yacht Support Vessel (YSV) series is based on Piriou’s crewboats for the offshore oil industry. Those boats need to achieve relatively high speeds in even tough sea conditions. Three models are each meant to tote extra toys, a helicopter, extra guests, and/or extra technical staff. They are the YSV 40, YSV 53, and YSV63 (pictured at top). Piriou will equip them all with a workshop, a fully outfitted dive facility, a hospital-like area, even a wine cellar if you so wish.
Why a wine cellar? Because each of the YSV series yachts can become a party platform. The YSV 63 has an incredible 2,045 square feet (190 square meters) of external deck space, with an additional 2,260 square feet (210 meters) of covered space. The YSV 53 has 3,229 square feet (300 square meters) of deck space, while the YSV 40 has nearly 1,830 square feet (170 square meters).
These parties can be held stateside or in the South Pacific, thanks to long range. Piriou expects the YSV 40 to achieve 4,500 nautical miles at 14 knots. The other two megayachts should see 5,000 nautical miles at 17 knots.
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