Heesen Yachts announce 60m Project Skyfall in build

Heesen Yachts’ Project SkyFall officially began on October 1 at the shipyard in Oss.

The owner’s representative laid a 450 BC Greek coin on the keel to commemorate the start of the build. The company says it will be the shipyard’s most powerful yacht to date, using waterjet propulsion on a sportsfishing-oriented superyacht.

Designed by Frank Laupman of Omega Architects, SkyFall will harness 22,000 hp from four MTU 20V 4000 engines, driving four Kongsberg S90 waterjets. The outer engines, compliant with the latest Tier III environmental regulations, drive steerable jets, while the centre engines operate fixed units. With less back pressure and a slightly higher power output, the centre engines will be used solely for high speeds. Waterjet drives lower the yacht’s draught to less than three metres and reduce vibration by 40 per cent compared with traditional shafts and propellers.

Thanks to its lightweight aluminium Fast Displacement Hull Form, complete with course fins and interceptor trim plates, SkyFall will reach a top speed of 37 knots in light load conditions.

Four suites on the lower deck will accommodate up to ten guests, while the owner has reserved the entire aft section of the bridge deck, with a large aft-facing suite opening onto a private terrace, complete with whirlpool spa and a relaxing seating area.

“Project SkyFall forced us to think out of the box and look for smart engineering solutions,” says Peter van der Zanden, design and development manager at the shipyard. “At Heesen, we enjoy putting our thinking caps on to find ingenious solutions to challenging requests from our clients.”

YN 19959, Project SkyFall, is due for delivery in 2023.