VLISSINGEN HAS BEEN THE HEART OF DUTCH SHIPBUILDING FOR MORE THAN SEVEN CENTURIES, MAKING IT THE IDEAL HOME FOR SUPERYACHT BUILDER AMELS.
VLISSINGEN HAS BEEN THE HEART OF DUTCH SHIPBUILDING FOR MORE THAN SEVEN CENTURIES, MAKING IT THE IDEAL HOME FOR SUPERYACHT BUILDER AMELS.
THE DUTCH HAVE BEEN blessed with one of the strongest seafaring traditions of any nation in modern history. The strategic location of Wacheren Island near the junction of the Scheldt River and the North Sea has made has made Vlissingen the heart of Dutch shipbuilding for more than seven centuries. So it is no surprise to find one of the world’s premier builders of superyachts, Amels, capitalising on both the setting and the lineage of craftsmanship that has developed here.
Tracing its roots back to the first workboat built by the Amels family in 1918, the yard established itself in the yachting world by launching the 43m Katalina in 1982. This first yacht was large for the times and her classic North Sea design elements, such as the rounded stern and sea-kindly motion designed for the area’s rough waters, were integrated with modern luxuries by Diana Yacht Design.
This complemented the work by Amels’ craftsmen, many of whom come from multi-generational ship building families. Katalina instantly boosted the yard into a new era. She can still be chartered under her current name, Lady Georgina.
Amels garnered the first of many accolades by securing a Power Boat of the Year in 1985 for the 57m Gail III. The award brought the builder significant attention. Due to the volume of orders for its pleasure craft, all commercial production was ceased within five years and Amels concentrated solely on the high-end luxury market.
The family transferred ownership to Bermudan investment company CTS Group in 1987. As Amels Holland BV, the company obtained the contract to build the 128m Trump Princess before The Donald was forced to scuttle the project due to his financial issues, but several yachts up to 56m metres were produced under CTS.
In 1991, the Dutch family-owned company Damen Shipyards Group bought Amels. Production started in Vlissingen in 2000 after Damen took over the Royal Schelde Group. All activities we moved to Vlissingen in 2005 and now the yard has grown to be the largest superyacht building facility in Holland. It has 32 shipyards worldwide, 8,000 employees and two billion euro in annual turnover.
A series of wise management decisions worked alongside the close relationships developed with suppliers and sub-contractors to propel Amels to ever-higher levels of quality and production.
In 2005 the world’s first MCA compliant yacht, Tigre D’Or, was the premier yacht in Amels’ Limited Editions line that lets a buyer create a semi-custom yacht on an already fixed platform. The Limited Editions yacht Deniki was launched in 2007 and shares the same hull design as Tigre D’Or.
Using established engineering not only shortens production time – a major influence on buyers’ decisions – it also helps minimise cost. The Owner retains total control over the yacht’s interior arrangement and even the exterior lines of the new vessel.
“Across the industry we see delivery time as increasingly pivotal in owners’ decision-making,” says Amels’ CEO Rob Luijendijk. “[Our] Limited Editions platform eliminates technical risk and allows the Owners to focus on customising the fun parts.”
The current yards in Vlissingen are still on the same site as Royal Schelde. While this exact location has been creating great boats across such a long timeline, the facilities are completely modern. The enclosed climate-controlled production halls and covered dry docks fit six yachts in simultaneous construction, with an additional three vessels under refit. With the current increase in demand the yard employs up to 600 designers, engineers and craftsman – and has often been full.
Working together with its parent company, Amels recently developed a hanger for Damen’s Yacht Support Vessel, termed the Sea Axe line. The new hangar hides a helicopter up to the size of a Eurocopter AS365 beneath doors in the deck of a 67m Sea Axe, while supporting a take-off weight of 5,000kg.
The largest vessel from Amels to date is now under construction. A great example of Amels’ mastery of modern Dutch yacht-building techniques for large superyachts, the 83m Amels 272 by Tim Heywood recently had her 120-tonne aluminium superstructure fitted to the hull.
Amels will continue working with the top designers in the industry while it keeps developing innovations to meet the needs of ever-more sophisticated consumers. With its history and experience, any new Owner can be assured the company will deliver a superyacht the meets the standards of even the most stringent Owner, and do it quickly with style and flair to boot.
