Damen Shipyards says it has just sold its first mega-yacht support vessel with a fully-enclosed helicopter hanger.
That’s right, some people have so many toys that they when cruising on their super yacht they actually need another support vessel just to carry it all; things like tenders, jet skis, submarines and, of course, helicopters.
The Yacht Support series was developed by Damen in cooperation with Dutch luxury yacht builder AMELS and is based on Damen’s commercially produced high-speed Sea Axe patrol and offshore support vessel design, but tailored to the needs of private owners just looking to cut loose and have a good time.
The new SEA AXE 6911 will be the first in the Yacht Support series to feature a technical area for some serious helicopter operations, which includes a fully enclosed hangar beneath the LY3 / MCA fully certified helideck.
“The owner’s team came to us with a lot of client-specific customizations for what was then our 67-meter platform,” explains Damen Product Director Mark Vermeulen. “They put a lot of thought into how the owner would like to operate the Yacht Support vessel in combination with the mother yacht. This has created new possibilities within the design, resulting in an extremely high-end yachting experience. Now we’ve put a lot of that client feedback into the updated design – the SEA AXE 6911.”
In addition to the helicopter hangar, the extended 69-meter platform also includes a dedicated helicopter workshop below deck, a well-equipped dive center, 250 square meters of deck space for tenders and toys, and 110 square meters of below deck storage. At approximately 1,200 gross tonnes, the vessel is also large enough to accommodate 22 crew and staff while sailing at 20 knots.
The new vessel is scheduled for delivery in June 2016 from Damen Shipyards Gorinchem in the Netherlands and will be the fifth Yacht Support vessel to be delivered since DAMEN and AMELS introduced the revolutionary new concept to the superyacht market in 2009.
Here’s a video on one of the Yacht Support vessels already delivered: