A visit to Feadship is always exciting, but today was especially fun: the opening ceremonies for the Feadship Amsterdam yard. Her Majesty Queen Máxima of The Netherlands attended (below). A fleet of Feadship Heritage yachts docked in front, banners flapped in the breeze, and large arrays of flowers decorated the entrance. The preparations were not just there to wow the royal visitor, but also the entire Feadship family. Invited guests and journalists gathered to celebrate 100 years of Feadship and 170 years of Royal Van Lent.
Farouk Nefzi, marketing and brand director, explained just how much the company has to celebrate. Feadship Amsterdam accommodates the trend toward ever-larger superyachts. Specifically, it can handle builds of up to 525 feet (160 meters) in length.
In preparation, the first of almost 1,500 piles was sunk in August 2017. Less than two years later, Feadship has the first yacht in the shed, too, a 289-footer (88-meter). Journalists experienced a dramatic reveal from the conference room, where an opaque glass window electronically cleared to show her beneath us. (On a related side note, the confidential yacht, Project 816, is one of six megayachts that Feadship has in the outfitting stage. They total 1,640 feet, or 500 meters.) With 125 feet (38 meters) of height, the Feadship Amsterdam work bay still allows plenty of air above the yacht’s mast array. Furthermore, the dock is long enough for a 230-footer (70-meter) to come in soon for refit work at the same time.
The new yard has been designed and constructed with sustainability in mind, too. In fact, Nefzi believes the new facilities make the company the “greenest yard in the shipbuilding industry.” Feadship Amsterdam uses a double-thick insulation layer, for instance, along with 2,262 solar panels that should generate 550,000 kWh of electricity per year. Local waste-to-energy sources will heat the building, as will a giant skylight made of heat-generating glass. Lighting, meanwhile, is LED, and a three-tier ventilation system is in use. In addition, it all has an elegant and modern look that is utterly brand appropriate.
The Feadship Amsterdam yard will appeal to crew and owners for other reasons, too. Only one lock and 20 minutes from the sea, it’s easy to reach. Furthermore, it puts clients near all of the dining, shopping, nightlife, museums, and other culture that Amsterdam offers.
Feadship feadship.nl
Leave a Reply