2022 was a tumultuous year; the war in Ukraine continues to inflict challenges on many people, and this very sad situation shatters the entire world. The yachting industry suffered from its consequences, and our shipyard even more so. However, we overcame challenges that we never imagined we would have had to face. As of May 2022, we are a 100 percent Dutch company. A smooth transition allowed us to return to “business as usual” relatively quickly. Thanks to our proverbial Dutch powers of pragmatism and blue-sky thinking, we manoeuvred around  supply chain hiccups intelligently and secured our company’s future. With fifteen yachts under construction and a workforce of 1,000 skilled people, our shipyard is as busy and well organised as a beehive.

The boat show season was a success; the 60-metre full custom Lusine debuted at the Monaco Yacht Show, we announced the sale of YN 20555 Project Serena, launched the XV67 design concept by Winch, and the 50-metre Ocean Z premiered at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. The sale of YN 20857, Project Setteesettanta, a full custom 57-metre all-aluminium motor yacht, and the launch of a new design – the 50-metre series by Harrison Eidsgaard – graced the end of this year.

As always at Heesen, we are anticipating the Chinese New Year with great enthusiasm and expect 2023, the Year of the Water Rabbit, to be another intense and exciting one. In Chinese culture, this sign symbolises longevity, peace and prosperity. We are 45 years young and look forward to many more years of designing, engineering and building cutting-edge motor yachts at the forefront of innovation and breakthrough technology. Right from the get-go, 2023 promises to be a very busy year. On January 27, we will launch the full custom 59-metre YN 19959 Project Skyfall. And during the course of the year, we will launch three more superyachts: YN 20067, the full custom 67-metre Project Sparta by Winch Design; YN 20255, Project Apollo, the first in the restyled 55-metre Steel Series; and the Smart Custom YN 20150 Project Oslo24.

The yacht industry is a business of people, and we can’t wait to meet clients, brokers, and press on the docks around the world. Next Spring, at the Dubai and Palm Beach boat shows, you will have the opportunity to meet our sales team and discuss our exciting new projects and look at our portfolio offering. As always, clients can take advantage of shortened delivery times of our Series yachts built on speculation. In the Fall, at the Monaco and Fort Lauderdale yacht shows, we will be showcasing our most recent launches and will have some ground-breaking news, which will be delivered at our annual press conference at the Hotel Hermitage.

They say that “the best way to predict the future is to create it”. At Heesen, we all work ardently on crafting the best yachts and the brightest future for our shipyard.