Read indepth magazine
Feadship Opens World's Most Eco-Friendly Facility
Feadship last week designated themselves as a frontrunner in the new era of green superyachting. The world-famous Dutch facility have opened a huge new facility in Amsterdam with an exciting accreditation: the yard is the most eco-friendly in the world.
Last Thursday, Feadship officially opened the doors of its new purpose-built facility, located in the port of Amsterdam. This year marks the 170th anniversary of Royal Van Lent, one of the two yachtbuilding family dynasties that makes up Feadship, and the occasion could not be better marked than with the heralding in of this amazing facility. The fourth Feadship yard in the country will now be used to build and refit yachts of up to 160 metres in length.
The opening ceremony, which marked the culmination of five years of meticulous planning, design and construction, was attended by Queen of the Netherlands and some 2500 members of the workforce.
During the event, Queen Máxima viewed members of the Feadship Heritage Fleet and met graduates of the Feadship Academy. Royal Van Lent director and build project manager Peter van Mil showed her how solar panels, district heating and LED lighting have increased efficiency at the new facilities, and Bram Jongepier, senior specialist at De Voogt Naval Architects, explained Feadship’s sustainable approach to yacht building.
Proceedings then moved to the construction hall, where speakers shared perspectives on this milestone moment in the builder’s history. Toni Belloni, Group Managing Director of LVMH (owner of Royal Van Lent), shared the following insight: “This new facility will allow Feadship to stay at the cutting edge of innovation and continue to build superyachts that will change history. LMVH always prides itself on employing the finest artisans, and it is certain that the best yachtbuilders in the world are working for Feadship Royal Van Lent.”
The general director of Port of Amsterdam, Koen Overtoom, explained how thrilled he was to welcome the knowledge, craftsmanship and employment opportunities of this operation into the heart of the Dutch capital, as well as sharing a snippet of the region’s proud nautical history: “In the 1600s there were 26 boatbuilders located here, with three new vessels being launched every week and many thousands of people employed. This shipbuilding is in our DNA and four centuries later you can see the passion in the amazing superyachts created by Feadship.”
Jan-Bart Verkuyl, CEO of Royal Van Lent, then concluded proceedings: “Our predecessors could never have imagined such an exceptional facility. Almost everything has changed over the years, but the one thing that has remained consistent is the skills of the workforce. Their constant desire to make things better has allowed Feadship to become the world’s leading superyacht brand.”
The wheels of the facility are already in motion with the construction of an 88m known as Project 816. This is a hugely exciting moment for Feadship and for yachtbuilding as a whole, and we can’t wait to hear more.
"Our predecessors could never have imagined such an exceptional facility. Almost everything has changed over the years, but the one thing that has remained consistent is the skills of the workforce. Their constant desire to make things better has allowed Feadship to become the world’s leading superyacht brand."
"Our predecessors could never have imagined such an exceptional facility. Almost everything has changed over the years, but the one thing that has remained consistent is the skills of the workforce. Their constant desire to make things better has allowed Feadship to become the world’s leading superyacht brand."
Jan-Bart Verkuyl, CEO of Royal Van Lent