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In Vlissingen-East, Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding is working on the steelwork for the extension of a Damen Yachting superyacht.
Steel section for the swimming platform
The production hall #1 in Vlissingen-Oost is a hive of activity; dozens of DSNS employees are working on a job for Damen Yachting. At the request of its new owner, the longest yacht ever built by Amels – called Here Comes the Sun – is having an extra six metres added to her stern.
While the steelwork is a welcome job for DSNS, Ronald and Martin point out that it is also a great collaborative project between DSNS and Damen Yachting. A job in which the two companies complement each other’s activities perfectly.
“As DSNS, we are now taking on production work on location,” says Martin. “But this job is also clearly in line with the MT’s policy plan, which expresses the desire to start working on an established production department again.”
The 83-metre yacht is to be extended at the stern with a pool section; this new part will be located next to the existing beach club section. The beach club, with a retractable balcony on either side, has been temporarily removed during the extension work, and will be replaced afterwards. The new swimming platform will be at the very end of the vessel.
The refit of the relatively new Amels flagship is certainly no small project for Damen Yachting, as the company’s Sales Manager Michel Coens explains: “We are very proud to have Here Comes the Sun back on site. The fact that DSNS – with their hull construction expertise – is so close to us, adds a new dynamic to this extensive and complex refit. The collaboration is going very well and things are really starting to take shape on board as the new sections are installed – all thanks to the smooth teamwork between both companies.”
“We are very proud to have Here Comes the Sun back on site".
The DSNS steelwork scope includes the new swimming pool section, the enlarged beach club and swimming platform. In addition, DSNS is building two lower deck sections. All in all, the new steelwork weighs in at more than 100 tons. “Naturally, the luxury finishing of Here Comes the Sun will be done entirely by Damen Yachting,” add Martin and Ronald.
As mentioned, in the same week as we spoke to Ronald and Martin, the steel section for the swimming platform was due to leave for The Island. Ronald: “We will lift the section into production hall #2 with a crane. With only ten centimetres between the warehouse frame and the scaffolding, it’s going to be a precision job.” This operation was completed successfully on November 5.