Dutch shipbuilder Amels has announced in their Inside Amels Magazine, that they will be moving into the custom superyacht market, for yachts over 80 metres in length.
For the last couple of years, Amels have offered clients high quality vessels built in their Amels Limited Editions range, proving a huge success since the concept was introduced to the world in 2007. Being as successful as it is, the Limited Editions will continue to exist for yachts up to 80 metres. "From there it’s all Amels Full Custom", Amels Marketing Manager Victor Caminada tells SuperYachtTimes.com.
The shipyard plans to build custom yachts in the 80 to 110 metre segment. Discussing the reasons behind the move, Managing Director Rob Luijendijk comments that it is is an organic progression in light of the industry trend towards larger and larger luxury yachts. With the construction of the largest Amels ship built to date, the 83 metre Amels 272, well underway for a late 2016 delivery, Luijendijk assures that the shipyard are more than equipped to successfully offer clients luxurious superyachts delivered on time and to impeccable standards. He says, “In terms of design and engineering capacity, as well as build capability, I think the Amels 272 is an excellent example of the expertise we have for Amels Full Custom.”
With an ever impressively full order book and nine yachts currently under construction at the Amels facilities - including projects from all five of the Limited Editions range - the question of whether or not Amels have the physical capacity to take on custom orders is posed. Luijendijk once again assures that a perfected build process means that they are ready to take this next step in the business. He comments, “While we have a full yard, it’s very smooth production, very predictable and well-planned and that’s why we feel ready to grow with this step into fully custom. It’s a controlled growth and we’re supported in that by our parent company, Damen Shipyards.”
Going back a few decades, you can still see Amels’ heritage as a full custom yacht builder in iconic yachts that were among the largest yachts of their day, such as the 78-metre Montkaj, the 76-metre Boadicea, (now Reborn), and the 74-metre Ilona.