The Bloemsma Aluminiumbouw shipyard in The Netherlands has served as a subcontractor of hulls, primarily aluminum, for more than 20 years. It’s particularly well-known for its contribution to modern-day J-Class sailing superyachts. The yard’s focus will continue under the new ownership of fellow Dutch builder Balk Shipyard.
Bloemsma Aluminiumbouw, located in Makkum, has supplied hulls to a number of builders. These include Feadship and Claasen Shipyards. In fact, Claasen had taken over its operations in recent years. Balk Shipyards intends to help Bloemsma Aluminiumbouw expand its operations. Daan Balk, owner of Balk Shipyard, grew up hearing the subcontractor’s name, and became even more familiar with its specialty when he began running his family’s shipyard.
Bloemsma Aluminiumbow’s roots date back to the 1970s. It began solely as a hull subcontractor. About a year and a half ago, it acquired a fellow Makkum new-build and refit yard, the site of Bloemsma Van Breemen. Bloemsma Van Breemen had built a number of megayachts over the past decade. These include the motoryacht Flying Eagle, the sailing yacht Valquest, and the expedition yacht Griffoen. When this acquisition occurred, the combined companies used the name Jachtwerf Bloemsma.
Jan Hart, the managing director of Claasen and Bloemsma Aluminiumbouw, will continue overseeing work under Balk Shipyard’s ownership. Whether hull construction, new builds, or refits ultimately become the focus is yet to be determined, in the coming months. For now, the yard has two sailing-yacht refits underway, those of Mulligan and Copihue.
As for Balk Shipyard, Daan Balk will remain focused on his site’s operations. It’s currently refitting a number of projects, including the motoryachts Bravado, Gisele, and Valeria, plus an unnamed Amels.
Leave a Reply