Keel-laying of the Hybrid Expedition Yacht YN 478

The hull of the Hybrid Expedition Yacht that Damen Naval is building at Vlissingen-Oost for Damen Yachting has passed its next crucial milestone: its keel-laying on 22 March. In accordance with centuries of maritime tradition, the vessel’s future owner executed the welding of a coin to the keel plate of the first section of the hull that is being built in Hall 1.

This was an important moment, says the project’s production coordinator Stan Haag. “The keel-laying is seen as the birth of a ship.” As well as being such a symbolic event, the keel-laying is also significant because it marks the substantial beginning of fabrication. “You cannot have the keel-laying at any random moment; there are rules laid down by the classification society about when it can happen,” explains Stan. “One of those rules is that the part of the keel you are working on must be at least one per cent of the weight of the ship’s hull.”

Construction of the hull of the 75-metre-long Hybrid Expedition Yacht started in December 2021 and is planned for completion twelve months later. “We are hiring quite a lot of people for this project from our sister yard in Romania; this puts us in a good position to meet this quite tight deadline. And we have a lot of experienced foremen here in Vlissingen. They know how to build a ship and they know how to lead a team. Their huge amount of experience helps us keep things running smoothly.”

There are currently around 70 people working on the project. In addition to the production team (now working in two eight-hour shifts) and eight apprentices, this includes the work preparation team and other supporting departments.

Construction of the hull is currently only taking place in Hall 1. Completed sections will be transferred to Hall 2, passing the grit-blasting and painting halls on the way. As the year progresses, Hall 2 will be brought into action for hull assembly and outfitting. Stan: “We have a total of 17 sections to construct, you will be able to really see things pick up speed after the summer closure, when we are planning to finish one block every two weeks.”

Although Damen Naval’s fabrication of the Hybrid Expedition Yacht hull for Damen Yachting is fully underway, there are still so many interesting aspects to look at. For example, how will the forthcoming ERP package impact the project? How does the team make sure building operations are carried out according to specification and quality standards? How are 3D scans of the vessel used to keep track of progress of construction? We will be looking at these subjects in future issues of the Schelde Schakels.