A year of celebrations

We always knew that 2019 was going to be a special year as Feadship celebrated its 70th birthday in a wide variety of ways. One of the undoubted highlights was the opening of our new yard in Amsterdam, the fourth facility alongside our existing sites in Aalsmeer, Kaag and Makkum.

Explore the construction of this lean green yachtbuilding machine in this special edition of our PILOT magazine, and read about how it is now being used in practice in the related article. Our Makkum yard is also massively increasing its capacity to create ever larger Feadships with the construction of a second new hall in Makkum. Feadship continues to set the pace in the global industry for the very best facilities for new builds and Feadship refits (more on which below).

Party central

The importance of the new Amsterdam yard to the economy of the Dutch capital as well as the global superyacht industry was reinforced by the presence of a very special guest at the opening ceremony in May. We were delighted to welcome Queen Maxima to the new yard on an evening that will live long in the memory of the 2500+ partygoers. Her Majesty enjoyed a tour of the giant Amsterdam facility, which had already welcomed its first build in the form of the 88-metre Project 816. Outside on the quay were nineteen classics from the Feadship Heritage Fleet, bringing a vintage flavour to an event that was otherwise firmly fixed on the future.

Girl on film

Talking of films, we’ve released a wide range of different video content over the past year on the dedicated Feadship YouTube channel. Roving reporter Suzanne has made some great vlogs taking us behind the scenes at Feadship, including the furniture shop, on a sea trial and a visit to the Feadship Academy. We also released a brand-new film featuring archive footage and unique insights into the yards and completed Feadships. It explains how a signature Feadship style and way of working has developed over the years, and how the concept of pure custom creation has transformed the superyacht world. Last but not least, the first two episodes of our striking Stories series – called Bakira and Perrito – are changing the way people view the experience of being a Feadship owner. Click on the links and see for yourself…

Back to the future

Sustainability is a major topic in our industry and Feadship is leading the way in efforts to make the superyacht sector as green as possible. Recognising as we do that failure to act on the environment is no longer an option, we have made sustainability and CSR core aspects of our corporate strategy. Practical examples include the development of an industry-wide measurement tool called YETI (Yacht Environment Transparency Index), which gauges how green yachts really are, our revolutionary and patented new Oxywash technology for exhaust gas treatment and our activities within the Water Revolution foundation. We also dedicated our latest Future Lab innovation symposium to the subject of sustainability and this has led to clear plans being implemented across the organisation.

Meet the family

With so many other activities going on you might forget for a moment that our core business is building bespoke superyachts. But it’s sure be the briefest of moments as each Feadship that joins our fleet generates enormous attention from the day she is launched. Newcomers during 2019 were SYZGYGY 818 with her incredible all-glass superstructure and other firsts such as forward-facing sliding doors and a pushbutton balcony for the owner’s stateroom. Then there is the noble Najiba, an exceptionally efficient superyacht in terms of fuel consumption with a wonderfully minimalist exterior style. The year 2019 will also be remembered for the first superyacht to feature her very own Dolby IMAX theatre, although Lady S will also go down in history for her fabulous exterior profile and ‘jewellery box’ interior.

Quality assurance

Towards the end of 2018 we launched the Feadship Refit & Services division, including the option for owners to ensure current Feadships have the official recognition of their quality by obtaining a Feadship Authentication Certificate (new builds are now certified upon delivery).

We have welcomed a number of Feadship home for refit or maintenance activities during 2019, including fleet icons such as Rasselas and Blue Moon, the 57.60-metre W (ex-Larisa), the ever-awesome 110-metre Anna and the head-turning Feadship Sherpa.

Trading places

We started this year review with a distinguished guest and end with some more. The Chinese provincial government officials from Hainan and Zhuhai who visited our yards in Aalsmeer and Amsterdam on a trade mission in November and December may not be so well known as Queen Maxima. But the area of the world they represent and the potential for Feadship to reach more clients in China and Asia as a whole is enormous. As we enter the third decade of the 2000s, there is much to look forward to for Feadship fans everywhere.