Yacht Belita Is the Belle of ISA Yachts: Sunday Superyacht Video

A project kept under tight wraps for the past four years, the yacht Belita is beginning to reveal more than a few facets of her design. Simultaneously, she’s revealing why she’s been such a big deal for ISA Yachts.

“Big” has both literal and figurative meaning. For example, at nearly 262 feet (80 meters), the yacht Belita is ISA Yachts’ new flagship. Her volume tops that of all other deliveries from the shipyard, too, at 2,220 gross tons. Although ISA Yachts had never built anything of this magnitude before, its sister yard, Columbus Yachts, did. That was the same-size Dragon, which saw delivery in 2019. (These days, having sold to subsequent owners, she bears the name My Dragon.) The shared experience is in turn partly responsible for ISA Yachts having initiated the ISA Large Yacht Collection, encompassing designs from 262 to 295 feet (80 to 90 meters). And, the work on Belita has given the yard the confidence to pursue superyachts to 328 feet (100 meters).

Yet another note of significance, the superyacht represents a first-ever collaboration with Espen Øino International. Renowned for shapely but not superfluous exterior styling, the studio keeps Belita smooth and streamlined. Additionally, and deceivingly, it keeps her seeming low-profile in comparison to some similar-length megayachts. While the swaths of dark glass from deck to deck draw your eye amidships, overhangs pull them aft. So, too, does the beach area, with a pool at its center.

Some of the other design details, particularly in reference to the interior, remain under wraps. The owners collaborated with Peter Marino Architect. The American studio has earned a reputation for emphasizing light, scale, and texture, as well as rich natural materials like stone and bronze. Peter Marino himself often incorporates artwork into his designs, regardless of them being for residences or retail stores.

During Belita’s launch ceremony, Giuseppe Palumbo, Palumbo Superyachts’ sole director, reflected on the flagship. “Behind a yacht of this scale are years of work, thousands of decisions, and the contribution of hundreds of people,” he noted. Being the group’s second 80-meter, “this has a precise meaning: What once represented a major accomplishment is now part of our shipbuilding heritage.”

ISA Yachts isayachts.com

Peter Marino Architect petermarinoarchitect.com