Fred van Beers, appointed Blohm+Voss CEO earlier this year, has announced an aggressive new investment plan aimed at optimising the business and strengthening the German builder’s presence in the superyacht sector.
In conjunction with Star Capital and the company’s board of director, Fred van Beers announced that these initiatives will be rolled out over the next 12 months.
“Star Capital supports our long term plans to invest in Blohm+Voss and to ensure we continue to meet the changing needs of clients in the large yacht sector well into the future.
"Our strong financial position, combined with this further investment clearly reinforces a strong confidence in the business and our ability to build truly exceptional superyachts,” said Blohm+Voss CEO Fred van Beers.
Further investment will be seen in the Blohm+Voss BV80 project. Renowned for its unique custom yachts, Blohm+Voss presented its first semi-custom BV80 superyacht in September 2014. Designed by Eidsgaard Design, the BV80 carries forward Blohm+Voss family heritage on a platform package.
The builder has reportedly seen “huge interest in the market” since the introduction of the BV80 superyacht, and now new investment will be devoted to this 80 metre project.
A fully realised design that’s ready to be built, tank testing, class approval and detail engineering has been completed on the BV80, and new investment will go to steel and major components so the yacht can be delivered in just 30 months once a client places an order.
The introduction of a dedicated superyacht division was also announced by Fred van Beers. Where new construction and refits had been managed separately, these activities will now be fully integrated, combining the expertise from the company’s yacht building and yacht repair teams. The Blohm+Voss yacht division will be based in Hamburg.
In addition to combining forces on yacht building and repair, Blohm+Voss will introduce a new Superyacht Lifecycle Management & Lifetime Warranty. The programme is designed to help clients reduce operating costs through continuously monitoring equipment on new yachts and remotely manage repair schedules and maintenance works. A lifetime warranty will also be offered on all new builds.
Finally, the Blohm+Voss sales team will grow to strengthen the builder’s representation in the market. New senior team members will be appointed both internally and externally.