With just under a week to go until the 2016 edition of the Dubai International Boat Show (DIBS), Dutch shipyard Heesen are busy preparing to display the 47 metre superyacht ASYA, which was completed towards the beginning of last year. She is the second hull in the restyled 47 metre class from Heesen Yachts.
She features naval architecture by the in-house team at Heesen, whilst her exterior design comes from the drawing board of Omega Architects. London-based studio Bannenberg & Rowell undertook her sophisticated interior design, and were reportedly inspired by the designs of Dieter Rams, Frank Lloyd-Wright and Tadao Ando.
Discussing of the importance and obvious added benefits of displaying a vessel at the show, Heesen comments: “Although it is not vital to have a yacht on display, it is absolutely the key to success in any boat show - not only in this region. Being able to showcase your product to a potential customer makes a significant difference! When you walk through the vessel and can show the craftsmanship, the use of precious materials, the technology and, of course, the quality, it is undeniably the most effective way to attract new customers.”
Heesen are well known for constructing vessels on speculation, thus offering clients a significantly shorter build time for a quality, Dutch-built vessel. ASYA is an ideal representation of this, with a total construction time of just 24 months. Speaking of the benefits of this business model, Heesen states: “Having superyachts with short delivery times is attractive to any prospective yacht owner - this applies to our Middle Eastern clients, too. With high net worth individual clients leading extremely busy and fast lifestyles, being able to offer a new yacht without the standard waiting time is an attractive offer. With Heesen, it’s as straightforward as saying, ‘I like it - I want it.’”
Heesen tells us that though their presence in the Middle East has seen a decline since experiencing a surge of popularity in the 80s, interest is once again picking up for the yard in the region, making it a particularly exciting time to display ASYA in Dubai: “We used to be quite popular in the region back in the 80s, and we are delighted to see that the interest in our yachts is picking up again.”
A sistership to ASYA is currently offered for sale by Heesen, with a delivery date in just a year’s time in March 2017. The Heesen team will be present in Dubai from 1st to 5th March.