PHOTOS: Giovanni Romero/TheYachtPhoto.com
The largest Damen Yacht Support project to date has departed The Netherlands on her maiden voyage. She’s the yacht Abeona, and if scuttlebutt surrounding her is true, she’s Jeff Bezos’ support yacht.
The builder has kept the owner’s identity confidential since announcing the project in September 2019. However, it has said that the rugged superyacht is fully custom. The starting point was the YS 7512 model, the top of the line in the Yacht Support series. LOA is 246 feet (75 meters), with an impressive volume of 1,900 gross tons.
The owner commissioning the support yacht Abeona made several special requests. Firstly, he wanted an exterior finish and paint job akin to that of traditional luxury yachts. (Due to the rugged styling, some clients prefer a lower-maintenance, more commercial-like finish, without fairing.) Amid 3,660 square feet (340 square meters) of deck space, he further wanted a helicopter hangar. This could be the area fully aft, topped with a landing pad, since it’s a traditional location. Additionally, and particularly noteworthy, Abeona needed to have stowage space for emergency-relief support equipment. Alongside this, she needed stowage for a broad variety of tenders and specialty marine gear. A large custom crane on deck is for launch and retrieval. Finally, the owner wanted Abeona to have accommodations for 45 people, including the crew and specialist staff.
With a top speed of 18 knots, the project is the 17th Damen Yacht Support vessel to see delivery to date.
If the Abeona does belong to Jeff Bezos, she’ll accompany the sailing superyacht Koru, a.k.a. Oceanco Y721. News of the two belonging to Bezos broke in a Bloomberg Businessweek article in May 2021. Specifically, the article was an excerpt from Amazon Unbound, a Bezos biography. In part, it mentions a three-masted schooner and support yacht.
Damen Yachting damenyachting.com
More About the Yacht Abeona
LOA: 246’0” (75 meters)
Beam: 41’3” (12.6 meters)
Draft: 13’1” (4 meters)
Guests: 4 in 2 staterooms
Engines: twin MTUs
Range: 5,000 nautical miles at 15 knots
Builder: Damen Yachting
Stylist: Damen Yachting
Naval Architect: Damen Yachting
Interior Designer: not available
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