Known for their luxury yachting brand Amels, Dutch shipbuilder Damen have now once again pushed the boundaries in the superyacht industry. SuperYacht Times can now exclusively reveal that the yard has developed a new range of expedition yachts from 65 to 100 metres. Named the SeaXplorer range, full details about these first real explorer superyachts will be unveiled at the Monaco Yacht Show.
Building on the success of their fast support vessels, Damen have now gone one step further to create a crossover of a yacht with professional ship capabilities, combined with absolute luxury on board. A dedicated Damen SeaXplorer team has spent many hours researching the design to ensure it would live up to its deep water expedition pedigree, through working with their partner EYOS Expeditions. Azure Yacht Design and Naval Architecture was employed to give the range an unmistakable ‘off-road’ appearance, leaving little room to wonder with what purpose in mind the vessel was designed for.
The range will feature Damen’s patented Sea Axe hull design that has been optimised with a Polar Class double-act level of strength, allowing the yacht to break through ice. The entire range will offer their guests the ultimate in independence from shore, capable of enjoying up to 40 days in between port calls. As part of the yacht’s exploration capabilities the SeaXplorer carries an array of tenders, toys, submersibles and up to two helicopters.
“A number of experienced yachting clients approached us about adapting Damen professional vessels, so we knew from them that there were simply no globally capable luxury explorer yachts out there,” says Rob Luijendijk, Managing Director of Amels. “And that’s also what we heard from the expedition specialists in the industry. So that’s why Damen began developing the SeaXplorer. The result is well beyond a pretty rendering; it’s a fully developed range.”