Shipyard Stories: Inside Dutch Powerhouse Heesen
Written By: Rachel Ingram
When Frans Heesen acquired Striker Boats in 1978, he didn’t expect to become founder of one of Europe’s most innovative boatbuilders. As an entrepreneur, Heesen’s beginnings were in the plastics industry – rumours suggest he bought the Netherlands-based shipyard as a potential location for another business.
However, after one year as owner, he launched his first Heesen boat, the 20m Amigo, and never looked back. Over the coming four decades, he grew the company into a world leader in the design, construction and engineering of all-aluminium yachts. Vessels slowly grew from 20m to 37m, from 41m to 47m, and then Heesen entered the 50m+ market. “This is when it became really serious,” says CEO Arthur Brouwer.
Nowadays, the shipyard is renowned for pushing the boundaries of technical innovation and producing some of the largest, fastest and most efficient superyachts in the world. Heesen’s devotion to aluminium is what initially set it apart from competitors. It continues to be the only shipyard in the world building on-spec aluminium boats, such as the 57-metre Akira. “Aluminium has been our bread and butter since our inception. You won't find anyone in the world doing what we're doing – building fast aluminium boats on speculation at this size,” says Brouwer. “It's extremely complicated but it’s been an evolution and we’re lucky with the heritage we have.”
Heesen’s premiere hybrid yacht Home (2017) was another game changer, setting fresh benchmarks for sustainability and fuel efficiency. And there are more icons on the way. The shipyard is currently working on its largest yacht to date, the 80m Cosmos which, with top speeds of 30 knots, will also be the world’s fastest aluminium yacht of her size; as well as 60m custom Skyfall which, with 22,000 horsepower, will be the fastest and most powerful yacht in her class.
While the company’s legacy is aluminium, it’s gaining momentum in the steel market, too. “We take the technology we have learnt and practised in aluminium yachts and we project that into our steel series. That means that the performance of the steel series is also very good,” he says. The shipyard is also making major strides in sustainability thanks to the work of Brouwer, who has been executive chairman since 2014 and CEO since 2016, and his team.
With its fingers on the pulse of technical innovation and engineering, and its sights on the future, Heesen has produced a number of vessels which have gone down in history as icons of their time. Breakthrough star Octopussy (1988), named after the 007 movie, was the company’s first game-changer. With top speeds of 50 knots, she was the fastest yacht in the world at the time. Obsessions (1996) was Heesen’s first – and the world’s largest and most powerful – sport fisherman. The 65m Galactica Star (2012) was its first fast displacement yacht and won a multitude of awards – her success only trumped by the 70m Galactica Super Nova (2016).
“We constantly push for innovations like super sleek hulls or extremely efficient, speedy propulsion,” Brouwer says. “Under the waterline, the technology we put into our yachts is extreme. Often it's not what you see on the surface, but what the ships can do. That, for connoisseurs in this market, is very important.”
When it comes to design, Heesen follows market trends closely. “We tend to change our designs every five or six boats so that we have a small series. Customers like to have a bespoke boat based on a spec yacht, but not something you can buy 20 or 25 times,” Brouwer says. “We also always work with renowned exterior and interior designers.” Omega Architects, Winch Design , Clifford Denn Design and Bannenberg & Rowell are just a few of the firms Heesen has collaborated with to date.
While trends and demands may change, there’ll always be hints of the trademark Heesen DNA in every design. A good example of this is the upcoming 57m Akira, which sees the company’s trademark sleek high-performance line coming back in full aluminium. “A Heesen is always innovative; it's always sleek with contemporary lines; it’s always of super high quality; and it’s typically Dutch built,” says Brouwer. “Design is not everything – it’s also about the history.”
Heesen is proud that it has been, and always will be, a true Dutch shipyard, meaning than everything is built at home in Holland. “ We do everything in Holland. I don't know if it's a good or a bad thing, but at least we can control the quality,” says Brouwer. “It’s not a family business anymore but it’s really a full, professional Dutch build and it belongs to the heritage of Holland.”
At the shipyard’s home in Brabant there are over 125 craftspeople working in-house, which was a major benefit during the Covid-19 pandemic because they were less dependent on external suppliers than many competitors. However, Brabant was the first province in Holland to be hit by the crisis, which provided ample challenge. Despite this, Brouwer reveals that the shipyard was able to sell nine and deliver six yachts in the first 18 months of the pandemic – and all were on time. “I was worried in the first nine months, but I haven't seen the valley of despair,” says Brouwer. “We have a fixation on delivering on time – down to the exact day we say on the contract. That resilience and organisation helped us through the last 18 months.”
As the industry picks up, the future for Heesen is looking very bright – and very green. The shipyard chose the 2021 Monaco Yacht Show to make a number of major announcements. The first was that the shipyard will, for the first time, make its entire fleet capable of featuring hybrid solutions – a major step forward for the shipyard’s sustainability ambitions.
In line with this, Heesen introduced BlueNautech, a sustainability programme to reduce the environmental and manufacturing footprint of its yachts. “Everybody's talking about hydrogen solutions, which is great for maybe 2032 or later, but before that, if you are realistic, what can you do now?” Brouwer asks. The initiative is built around six core pillars: increasing hull efficiency, improving propulsion efficiency, energy saving at anchor, sustainable operations, alternative materials and recycling, and sustainable production methods.
Heesen also unveiled a number of design components to make its yachts more sustainable, including super sleek new hulls which are 30 percent more efficient. “That means that the pressure you create on the environment drops down immediately if you buy a hull structure with us instead of the competition,” Brouwer says.
The decision to focus on sustainability was driven by both opportunity and demand. “We are already very efficient thanks to our aluminium hull shapes, so we have some advantage, and we have the technology and experience to push forwards,” Brouwer says. “We've also been tracking the market closely, and it’s changing slowly to a more sustainable market. Customers are starting to ask for more outrageous solutions which are technologically not always possible, but we can offer a lot which comes close to their needs and wishes.”
Heesen’s aim is to set standards for the entire yachting industry and lead the path to a more responsible future – and with climate change increasingly impacting the planet, there couldn’t be a better time.
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Heesen Yachts ‘Lusine’ Reviewed
- By Phil Draper
- May 19, 2023
The Armenian word lusine translates to “moon” in English. That’s why, aboard the 198-foot Heesen Lusine , lunar and celestial themes are everywhere, from wall features to the teak decking. A crescent moon, for instance, is in the middle of the helipad. Even the font of the yacht’s name runs from thin to thick, reflecting the moon’s four waxing and waning phases.
Sinot Yacht Architecture & Design in the Netherlands created the opulent, almost art deco interior, which Heesen says is by far the most complicated and expensive it has ever produced. Initially, the yacht’s owner was inspired by Heesen’s then-Project Ceres (which launched as Galactica ), but he ended up developing a fully custom vessel. At 1,079 gross tons, and based on a Fast Displacement Hull Form by Dutch naval architecture firm Van Oossanen, Lusine is Heesen’s longest and biggest-volume steel-hull yacht to date. The overall design process was led by Frank Laupman’s team at the Dutch firm Omega Architects.
Lusine’s profile fuses contemporary and modern styling to stunning effect. While the bow is conventionally pointed, the superstructure is more angular and extends a little farther forward than usual. The high foredeck terrace is vast and capable of hosting quite a party. The bridge-deck wing stations are exaggerated to create much wider side decks, and there is a hint of a bird’s wing amidships in the superstructure relief that cleverly integrates all the upper three decks without actually breaking the horizontal sweeps of glass along the main and upper decks.
Not only is the craftsmanship throughout Lusine exceptional, but the level of detailed design goes way beyond the norm as well. For instance, almost every piece of furniture is custom-size, and the breathtaking parquet soles, rich joinery and intricate marquetry are made from rare woods, special stones, and unusual leathers and skins, such as stingrays and puffer fish. One of the biggest design statements is the yacht’s circular staircase and glass elevator connecting all four decks, with a contoured leather mural depicting sea, land, air and then star themes as guests rise from the yacht’s lower deck to the top deck.
Lusine’s main-deck gathering spaces are conventional enough. Entering from the cockpit seating and dining space, the main-deck salon has lounge and dining areas aft, with an amidships galley and pantry to port. A companionway to starboard leads to the formal, double-glass-door entrance and to a side-boarding ladder beyond. The double-pedestal, cornice-topped dining table has radial Macassar veneers inlaid with gold leaf, blue agate and sycamore. The custom chandelier above is from Preciosa.
Accommodations are for 16 guests in eight en suite staterooms: three with double berths on the upper deck and five with twin berths on the lower deck. The lower-deck staterooms can also be used by personal staff.
The 540-square-foot owners’ stateroom is aft on the upper deck, where many other yachts have a sky lounge. Views from here are fabulous, with a 180-degree panorama to the sides and across the upper deck’s aft lounges, dining area and hot tub. The whole space can be secured for owner privacy.
Forward on the main deck is the L-shaped VIP stateroom, conceived for close family. It has an en suite double-berth stateroom and an adjacent en suite twin-berth stateroom. Both open onto a starboard-side private sitting room, which connects to the yacht’s main lobby.
The crew complement is 15. A captain’s cabin is to port abaft the modern, paperless bridge, with the remainder of the crew cabins forward on the lower deck.
Lusine has room for three Boston Whaler tenders: a 270 Vantage, a 210 Dauntless and a 180 Dauntless. The smallest and largest are housed with various toys in a forward garage, which has hinge-up doors to either side of the bow. The 210 is kept in the stern garage with more toys.
For air arrivals, a touch-and-go helipad is on the after end of the top deck. Interestingly, the area around the mast base and at the top of the central staircase is enclosed to create an alternative foyer for guests arriving this way. The space includes a pilot’s cabin.
Propulsion is twin 2,575 hp MTU 12V 4000 M65L diesels, which reportedly deliver a top speed around 18 knots and an ocean-straddling 4,200-nautical-mile range at 13 knots. Twin Naiad fins provide stabilization, and onboard power comes primarily from twin 315 kW Zenoro generators. The yacht’s air conditioning is built to high-tropical specification.
Lusine embodies all the knowledge and experience that Heesen has amassed by delivering more than 80 metal motoryachts with an average length of 155 feet in the past 20 years. The yard consistently delivers around four big yachts annually—not tied to the four phases of the moon but stellar nonetheless.
A coffee table in the main salon contains a small slice of lunar meteorite. A few of these rare rocks have been found on Earth and matched forensically with samples brought back from NASA’s Apollo missions. Scientists believe that the rocks arrived in debris showers following crater-creating events. A meteorite with proven provenance is the closest thing to a moon rock that money can buy; the real ones are owned by U.S. government agencies.
Now for Sale
Sadly, Lusine’s owner died right around the time the yacht was delivered. It’s now listed for sale “as new” with Burgess and is lying in the West Mediterranean. The asking price at press time was $82 million.
Ever Larger
Lusine is Heesen’s largest steel-hull motoryacht to date, but the yard’s largest project so far is the semi-displacement, all-aluminum, 263-foot, 1,700-gross-ton Galactica , which departed the Oss, Netherlands, yard in early 2022. Galactica is also reportedly the world’s largest and fastest motoryacht with a conventional shaft-line propulsion. Heesen says the vessel is capable of 29 knots, with four MTU 20V 4000 series engines.
Busy Builder
Heesen mostly builds semi-custom projects on common platforms. In recent years, most have been fast-displacement or semi-displacement hulls in steel/aluminum or all aluminum, but, occasionally, there’s a full-displacement steel/aluminum or all-aluminum project in the mix. Lusine is a good example of its steel-hull yachts.
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Category : Heesen Yachts
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 Project Cosmos hits the water! Heesen launches its largest to date, a mighty 80-metre superyacht Heesen is delighted to announce that on November 19, 2021, YN 19480, Project Cosmos was launched at the shipyard in Oss. When christened she will be named Galactica . At 80 metres, with a gross tonnage of 1,700GT and a top speed of almost 30 knots, she is the biggest and fastest all-aluminium yacht ever built. The challenges involved in creating such a large and complex yacht are extreme, but made a perfect fit with Heesen’s history and expertise. Precision aluminium construction, high performance and the finest Dutch craftsmanship are steeped into the DNA of this shipyard. Cosmos is the ultimate expression of Heesen’s ability to build daring projects that stretch the imagination of its engineers and craftspeople. Thanks to the dedication of the Heesen teams and the shipyard’s loyal subcontractors, who all worked tirelessly through the pandemic, the yacht was launched on schedule in perfect Dutch style. What makes Project Cosmos so impressive is its immense size combined with a remarkable top speed of almost 30 knots. This is achieved thanks to the lightweight and low-drag hull design, honed to perfection by Heesen’s naval architects on an iteration of the Fast Displacement Hull Form devised by van Oossanen, and assembled, millimetre-perfect, by Heesen’s welders. Ensuring sufficient longitudinal strength was one of the biggest technological challenges facing Heesen’s engineering team, who designed and patented the Backbone – an intricate, full-length structural reinforcement system. Power comes from traditional, if highly refined, diesel propulsion – four engines, two gearboxes, variable-pitch propellers and ultra-innovative Promas rudders. “Today, we are celebrating the launch of a unique yacht,” said Heesen CEO Arthur Brouwer. “Unique not only for our shipyard, as she is the largest we have ever taken on and represents the pinnacle of our achievements to date. Cosmos is also unique in the industry – the largest and fastest aluminium yacht in her class ever built.” Cosmos’s elegant exterior comes from the renowned British studio of Winch Design. Clean lines, a sporty silhouette and the extensive use of glass create a timeless, dynamic profile, which will look as good in twenty years as it does today at launch. “The Winch vision for Cosmos was to retain Heesen’s sporty DNA but blend it with an innovative, futuristic spin. Curved glass forms smooth, sculpted shapes, creating a feeling of slick, contemporary charm,” said Jim Dixon, Director of Yachts and Aviation at the British design house. “The brief stressed that she had to have a strong and unique signature whilst retaining the Heesen DNA that we all know and love. The emphasis was on creating a fast looking yacht that sits elegantly on the water, a feat that has been cleverly achieved through the use of sculptural, curved forms and perfectly balanced proportions.” – James Russell, Associate, Yacht Exteriors Sinot Yacht Architecture & Design was responsible for the light and soothing interior design that makes guests feel at home from the moment they step aboard. While the overall palette is neutral, splashes of a range of blue hues are infused into the design throughout. The piece de résistance is undoubtedly the beach club, with its side and stern platforms. The backlit onyx bar with centrally positioned seating is the focal point of this ample and airy space close to the water. With the size, weight and performance of Project Cosmos so intimately connected, Sinot collaborated closely with Heesen’s in-house engineers to ensure that their stringent weight calculations were always met. Following her launch, Project Cosmos will remain at Heesen for commissioning before undergoing intense sea trials in the North Sea commencing in February. She will be delivered to her owners in April 2022. Related NewsThe hull and superstructure of 80-metre project cosmos....  YN 18850 Project Triton, 50-metre Steel Class, first... WE’LL KEEP YOU UP TO DATE T. +31 6 11 49 96 00
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COMMENTS
Heesen Yachts was founded in 1978 by Frans Heesen, an entrepreneur who at the time was best known for his work in the plastics industry. [4] Heesen purchased the Striker Boats shipyard site in the Netherlands as a potential home for another business, but decided to retain the property as a shipyard and continue its operations. [5] One year following the purchase, Heesen launched the 20-metre ...
Founding father Frans Heesen had no idea of the adventure awaiting him when he acquired Striker Boats back in 1978. Now, over four decades later, he has built a company renowned for producing some of the finest superyachts in the world. And although he stepped back from the company in 2012, his mission to create yachts that push the boundaries ...
List of yachts built by Heesen. This is a list of all the yachts built by Heesen Yachts, sorted by year. The Heesen Yachts yard in Oss, The Netherlands. Was the longest yacht upon completion.
At 70 metres and with 357 square metres of deck space to enjoy, she's the largest Heesen yacht so far. 2016 - New 85-metre dry dock . This new 85-metre dry dock is our investment in the future and our response to the market request for bigger Yachts. 2017 - Home . The continous drive to innovate resulted in the introduction of the cleaner ...
At Heesen, we are dedicated to building superyachts in aluminium and steel that offer speed, style and fuel-efficient cruising. With an unrelenting focus on quality, craftsmanship and innovation, Heesen has created one of the world's most impressive shipbuilding legacies. Our portfolio consists of three build concepts, which address our ...
The builder can work on as many as eight yachts annually and is aiming for a larger share of the supersize-yacht market, with a 279-foot-long dry dock within a 295-foot-long construction shed. And Heesen Interiors recently added 24,000 square feet to its headquarters. The site now encompasses nearly 87,200 square feet.
Courtesy Heesen Yachts. It was in 1988 that Heesen Yachts truly became the globally known brand it is today. That's the year the yard launched Octopussy, a 124-footer that could top 50 knots. At the time, it was the fastest luxury yacht in the world, and suddenly, the name Heesen was on everyone's lips from St. Barts to St.-Tropez.
About Heesen Yachts. Built on a heritage of world-class craftsmanship, Heesen has been delivering award-winning yachts for 40 years. Since the time its founding father Frans Heesen acquired the business in 1978, the shipyard has been characterised by constant innovation and an unrelenting focus on quality. The launch of 44m Octopussy in 1988 ...
Dedicated to building superyachts in aluminium and steel, Heesen is a leader in semi-custom, fast delivery superyachts in the 50-57m range.Focusing on quality, craftsmanship and innovation including enhanced fuel efficiency, Heesen was founded in 1978 and has a portfolio consisting of three build concepts to suit different client requirements in terms of delivery times and personalisation ...
One of the largest superyacht builders in the country is Heesen Yachts, based in the city of Oss. But what sets Heesen apart from its neighbors is the identity of its owner: oil & gas mogul Vagit ...
Heesen's premiere hybrid yacht Home (2017) was another game changer, setting fresh benchmarks for sustainability and fuel efficiency. And there are more icons on the way. The shipyard is currently working on its largest yacht to date, the 80m Cosmos which, with top speeds of 30 knots, will also be the world's fastest aluminium yacht of her ...
Lusine is Heesen's largest steel-hull motoryacht to date, but the yard's largest project so far is the semi-displacement, all-aluminum, 263-foot, 1,700-gross-ton Galactica, which departed the Oss, Netherlands, yard in early 2022. Galactica is also reportedly the world's largest and fastest motoryacht with a conventional shaft-line propulsion.
May 19, 2022By: Diane M. Byrne. This week, Heesen Yachts made a strategic move to, in its words, secure its future. It's now under full Dutch ownership. According to a statement, all shares in the shipyard transferred from its primary Dutch holding company to an independent Dutch foundation. "The employment both in Oss and Winterswijk is ...
Gianluca Santoni. Yes, you read the title right. Heesen's newest 265-foot-long superyacht is not only going to be largest yacht the Dutch superyacht yard has ever built. It's also touted to ...
Yachts built by Heesen Yachts (1 P) Pages in category "Heesen Yachts" This category contains only the following page. This list may not reflect recent changes. H. Heesen Yachts This page was last edited on 17 May 2023, at 12:21 (UTC). Text is available under the Creative ...
The Cosmos 80m superyacht is not just the largest yacht ever made by Heesen Yachts, it's the fastest ... [+] Pushing forward with the largest boat you've ever created during a global pandemic is ...
Heesen Series - Heesen Yachts. All of our Heesen Series yachts have a proven track record thanks to the experience gained from previous builds. These yachts are fully engineered and designed, and available for sale during their construction. We can deliver the yachts faster as they are built on speculation at our shipyard.
Media in category "Heesen Yachts" The following 4 files are in this category, out of 4 total. Heesen logo blue-gold RGB.jpg 273 × 318; 75 KB. Heesen Yachts overzicht schuin links.jpg 3,796 × 2,268; 4.37 MB. Heesen Yachts overzicht schuin.jpg 3,028 × 1,961; 3.36 MB.
At 80.07 metres, 1,700 Gross Tons and with a top speed of 29 knots, Genesis, previously Project Cosmos is the world's largest and fastest all-aluminium motoryacht with conventional propeller propulsion system. Winch Design created a streamlined yacht with innovative design traits but still retaining the Heesen DNA: muscular sportiness and ...
Frans Heesen Stadion. / 51.755113°N 5.528175°E / 51.755113; 5.528175. Frans Heesen Stadion is a multi-use stadium in the city of Oss, Netherlands. It is currently used mostly for association football matches and is the home stadium of TOP Oss. The stadium is able to hold 4,561 spectators.
115K Followers, 1,587 Following, 1,058 Posts - Heesen Yachts (@heesenyachts) on Instagram: "Dutch shipyard ⚓️ building refined and luxurious superyachts known for their exceptional performance, cutting-edge technology & timeless design." heesenyachts. Follow. Message. 1,094 posts. 115K followers. 1,620 following. Heesen Yachts ...
A full custom motoryacht unlike any other . Sparta, a full custom 67-metre motor yacht, is our largest steel yacht to date. She grew out of the Project Avanti design concept which we presented with Winch Design at the Monaco Yacht Show 2018. At Heesen, we take pride in our ability to create complex custom yachts that are expertly engineered and built to meet the highest Dutch quality standards.
Heesen is delighted to announce that on November 19, 2021, YN 19480, Project Cosmos was launched at the shipyard in Oss. When christened she will be named Galactica.. At 80 metres, with a gross tonnage of 1,700GT and a top speed of almost 30 knots, she is the biggest and fastest all-aluminium yacht ever built.