Inside the Shed at Lurssen: Top 100 Deliveries & More

Lurssen Yachts recently made headlines as the 140m Scheherezade was delivered to her new owner. The mammoth superyacht made a striking impression as she made her way to her new home, showcasing two giant helipads forward and aft and a wide swim platform. Project Lightning, as she was then known, created ripples in the industry when she was first launched last July. The shipyard has typically disclosed no details on Scheherezade, whose build team remains as yet anonymous. 

Scheherezade is the latest jewel in Lurssen’s Top 20 crown, ranking at a forecasted #15 on Superyachts.com’s 2020 predictions for the largest yachts in the world. Despite this, the German shipyard has wasted no time in moving on to the next projects in conjunction with the greatest names in design.

At the end of last month Lurssen’s Project 1601 hit the water for the very first time. The 90m superyacht features an exterior design by celebrated designer Espen Oeino, which has been described by the yard as ‘dominated by planar surfaces, straight lines and angular corners’. The geometric focal points of her exterior have been mirrored by her interior design team, Hamburg-based Dölker + Voges. The project has been managed by Cornelsen & Partner representing the Owner. Project 1601 has retreated into Lurssen’s floating dock, where she will undergo the final stages of outfitting before emerging next year.

Yet size is not everything when it comes to building world-class superyachts. The last time we spoke to design duo Bannenberg & Rowell, the pair intimated at an upcoming 50m Lurssen project, which the yard has now shared details of. 

Project 13800 is set apart from Lurssen’s typical build not just by her size, but a distinctly classic design concept influenced by Carinthia VI - the fruit of a collaboration between Jon Bannenberg and Lurssen in 1973. 

Project 13800 hit the water at the end of April before moving to the outfitting hall, where she will remain for some time ahead of her final departure from the shed in 2021. The yard has described her interior design as showcasing ‘a fearless use of colours and textures’ as well as tremendous attention to detail down to her most intricate fittings and furnishings.  

James Hutchinson, Owner’s representative, comments, “It has been great to see how Project 13800 has evolved over the last two years and see it now come to life. The technical launch marked a big milestone for the project, and makes me proud to be closely involved in the first Lürssen to be built in this size range for many years.” 

Having dominated the 60m+ size bracket for well over a decade, Project 13800 represents a serious move to consolidating Lurssen’s brand in the 55-75m range. 

Peter Lürssen, Managing Partner, notes: “We are very grateful for the success of all the large yachts we have built, however, our core business is between 60 to 90 metres and Lürssen has delivered more vessels over the last 15 years under 90 metres than above! As long as it is a bespoke yacht, Lürssen is the right shipyard.”

We look forward to bringing you more updates on this esteemed yard as it develops its core business strategy, and indeed consolidates its dominance in the 90m+ range. To learn more about the German experts in engineering, and hear Peter Lurssen and Michael Bremen discuss the importance of Lurrsen's unique pioneering culture, watch Episode 6 of our Top 100 documentary 'Building Giants'.