The story of Heesen Yachts began in 1978, when founder Frans Heesen acquired the shipyard of Striker Boats in the Netherlands. Heesen’s first yacht, the 20 metre Amigo, was launched a year later in 1979. Four decades on with more than 170 yachts launched, Heesen is known as one of the most premium superyacht builders in the world.
Greatest Hits: Heesen's history
Talk a walk down memory lane as we look back on the milestones of Dutch superyacht builder Heesen Yachts.
In 1988, Heesen was commissioned by American entrepreneur John Staluppi to build a yacht capable of reaching more than 50 knots. The result was the custom-built superyacht Octopussy, named after the 1983 James Bond film, which reached a top speed of 53.17 knots.
In 1996, Heesen entered the large sportfishing yacht market with the delivery of 37-metre Obsessions, which was the world’s largest sportfish yacht at the time.
Heesen expanded in 2003, building a new construction facility and launching the 37-metre and 44-metre aluminum class.
Ten years later, Heesen launched the 65-metre custom-built Fast Displacement World Superyacht Award-winning yacht Galactica Star.
In 2016, the 70-metre aluminium Fast Displacement superyacht Galactica Super Nova was launched.
In 2017, Heesen delivered the world’s first hybrid-powered Fast Displacement yacht, the 50 metre Home.
In 2019, Heesen announced it had began construction on its largest project to date – the 80 metre Project Cosmos, which is due for delivery in 2022.