Heesen Yachts – The Performance of Luxury

Founded in 1978, Heesen Yachts is considered a relative newcomer to the yacht building fraternity. With its founding motto being “The Performance of Luxury”, it is nonetheless one of the top choices for ultra-wealthy individuals looking to create their dream vessel by commissioning a distinguished ship builder. Focusing on the creation of elaborate yachts crafted from aluminum, Heesen has won a number of awards for the design and manufacture of their steel yachts and ships.

When Frans Heesen founded the Dutch company that bears his name, he laid down a set of principles that have remained at the heart of its mission and have been pivotal in securing its staggering success. With exceptional standards of engineering and meticulous attention to detail, Heesen yachts are at once performance craft and luxury floating palaces that rival the best hotels in the world. There is just no stopping this ship builder either: the company has recently expanded its sales operations to include North America, Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean.

History and Highlights

In 1978 Frans Heesen bought an existing shipyard in the Oss harbor. By 1979, he had already delivered his very first yacht, Amiga, to a prominent Dutch executive, and immediately entered the international luxury market, with the creation of a yacht for the Sheikh of Kuwait.

Heesen Luxury yacht “Man of Steel”

In 1988, Octopussy was the first yacht to break the 50-knot speed record, becoming the fastest luxury yacht in the world. And in 1990, in another milestone for the company, L’Aquasition became the first yacht built by Heesen that exceeded 40 meters in length. The first steel displacement yacht, The Achiever, was launched in 1992 and is still on the sea 23 years later. From custom yachts for professional sports fishermen to the luxury yachts designed for speed and opulence, Heesen continues the tradition of excellence and expert design, winning awards at all major yacht and boat shows around the globe as well as delivering custom designed super-yachts to its wealthy clientele.

For the Celebrity with Class

A Heesen yacht is a statement of luxury, of precision engineering and innovative technology. Little wonder then that many celebrities and the ultra wealthy choose one when looking for a floating home on the high seas, even if it is just for a vacation.

Galactica Star (65m), launched in 2013, is one of the first yachts with a Fast Displacement Hull Form, reaching a top speed of 28.8 knots. She was also the top choice for Jay-Z and Beyonce to celebrate the latter’s 32nd birthday off the coast of Italy. The identity of the owner remains a closely guarded secret, and the Galactica Star is not ordinarily available for charter purposes.

The latest build from Heesen Yachts is called Project Kometa. It is the company’s largest project to date at 70 meters, and is a seamless blend of design with the Fast Displacement Hull Form, innovative technology with a Rolls Royce central booster jet, and onboard luxury with a 6 meter swimming pool, helipad and 146 m² beach club sundeck.