UPDATE, JULY 4, 2024: A previous customer of Heesen Yachts has returned to the shipyard to buy the yacht Project Venus. Rupert Connor of Luxury Yachts, the owner’s representative, says it was an easy decision. “There is no other shipyard in the world where you can sign for a yacht in June and they deliver in 10 months a high-quality yacht customized to our needs,” he asserts. He adds, “Our whole build-support team is thrilled to be working with Heesen again.”
Read on for our original article.

Hull number eight in Heesen’s 55-Meter Steel series had her keel laying last week. The code-named yacht Project Venus is a spec build, in keeping with the shipyard’s practice, saving buyers time yet still allowing plenty of customization requests.
Thanks to the work of Luca Dini Design, also responsible for Heesen’s Poject Serena, the 180-footer (55-meter) can accommodate 12. Because most buyers like their stateroom on the same level as the saloon, the studio suggests placing the master suite forward on the main deck. Additionally, the suite can be quite elbowroom-friendly, 883 square feet (82 square meters). A French balcony to starboard plus a private alfresco seating area lend it an airy feel. As for the other five staterooms, they can be a mix of doubles and twins. For now, Luca Dini Design has a suggested layout with all of them below decks, though one spans the full beam as a VIP. Beam, by the way, is 31’6” (9.6 meters).

With alfresco dining and lounging available on essentially all decks, the design of the yacht Project Venus encourages taking in a variety of sites. Even with the yacht’s 180-foot length and 9’4” (2.85-meter) draft, dropping anchor in popular picturesque anchorages in the Mediterranean and other destinations is possible, too.
Many destinations are indeed possible. The voluminous, 760-gross-ton yacht can expect to achieve a range of 4,500 nautical miles at 13 knots. Whether or not the owners have her cross the Atlantic on her own bottom, the range more than allows it. The propulsion package, twin MTU diesels, should allow a top speed of 15½ knots as well.

Friso Visser, Heesen’s CCO, considers Project Venus among the shipyard’s “crown jewels.” In fact, he explains, “Our 55-meter Steel Series is one of the most successful in Heesen’s history.”
Since construction has only just started, delivery should be in the springtime of 2025.
Luca Dini Design lucadini.com
Heesen Yachts heesenyachts.com

More about the Yacht Project Venus
LOA: 180’5” (55 meters)
Beam: 31’6” (9.6 meters)
Draft: 9’4” (2.85 meters) at half load
Guests: 12 in 6 staterooms
Engines: 2/1,341-hp MTUs
Range: 4,500 nautical miles at 13 knots
Builder: Heesen Yachts
Stylist: Omega Architects
Naval Architect: Van Oossanen Naval Architects
Interior Designer: Luca Dini Design
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