Damen Yachting has unveiled an all-new 53 metre design in its Yacht Support range of shadow vessels. Construction is already underway after two years of design and development, with the first steel cutting completed at the shipyard's Antalya facility.
The YS 53 is an evolution of the YS 5009, originally based on Damen's commercial platforms, and features a new hull form courtesy of Damen Yachting's in-house team of naval architects. Highlights include a vast aft deck across a nine-metre beam for carrying toys and tenders with a 15-tonne deck crane for launch and recovery.
The support yacht will be powered by two Rolls Royce MTU engines delivering a combined total of 6,000hp and a top speed of 19 knots. The vessel will also be fully IMO Tier III compliant, reducing harmful emissions by 70% for full range operations with a 5,000 nautical-mile range. According to the shipyard, the new design is "strongly focused on highly demanding performance, efficiency and comfort."
The YS 53 sits beneath the 500GT threshold and can carry anywhere between six and 16 guests or staff, depending on how the owner wishes to use the vessel, as well as accommodation for a crew of 10.
Read More/A superyacht for your superyacht? The rise of the support vessel“The YS 53 exterior design starts with a familiar functionality, but there is more than meets the eye,” says Wouter Kleijpoel, design manager at Damen Yachting. “It’s playful, muscular and emboldening, you believe anything is possible.”
"We realised that our new series needed to be both highly flexible and customisable, but also designed from scratch for the yachting market. That’s how the YS 53 began," said Rob Luijendijk, director of sales and product management.
The first Damen Yachting YS 53 is due for delivery in 2023.