The ambitious refit planned for Advantage, a commercial vessel-turned-support-yacht, proved possible. In less than four months, the 174-footer (53-meter) has been lengthened, gained staterooms, and much more.
The conversion is nearly complete at Oceania Marine in New Zealand, managed by fellow Kiwi company Diverse Projects. Her new stabilizers need to be tested, and she’s awaiting her final stamp of approval from the classification society.
Given the scope of the work and the fact that the owners had just purchased Advantage two months prior to it commencing, “ambitious” is an understatement for this refit. She was a crew-support and firefighting vessel built by Damen in 2012. Damen, you may recall, is the parent company of Amels. Amels which has marketed similar-looking ships as yacht-support vessels. Some have even been commissioned as adventure yachts. Advantage’s construction and engineering were ideal for the explorations the owners had in mind. But, her crew-boat configuration was a far cry from that vision.
So, what was done? The photo here only shows Advantage’s exterior transformation (compare her current profile at top to her previous look just above). As mentioned above, she grew in LOA. Diverse Projects says she’s now 177 feet (54 meters). Part of the extension was driven by the addition of a garage for a personal sub. That garage was made by a subcontractor that Diverse Projects selected, offsite. It was brought to Oceania Marine and installed within 10 days of the first weld being laid.
Advantage gained a stern anchor, too, plus three guest staterooms, a captain’s cabin, a crew mess, and an office, all on the main deck. Below decks, the crew area and galley were stripped out and redesigned, further getting a cool room.
One more item left on the punchlist: adding a deck crane.
Advantage is set to join her owners’ megayacht in Tahiti.
Leave a Reply