[dropcap]O[/dropcap]ne of the most celebrated superyachts of recent years has arrived back in the Netherlands for the first time since her launch in 2012. The 78-metre Venus, originally launched in 2012, has returned home for her five-year Lloyd’s certification and various upgrade activities. This heralds the start of a hectic year for the Feadship refit and service team.
Having successfully completed eight significant refits in the previous season, Feadship is preparing for the arrival of some iconic superyachts in the Netherlands for a refit this coming autumn and winter. They will take place at the Feadship yard in Makkum as well as some rented facilities in nearby Harlingen. Various Feadships in other locations will also benefit from the dedicated expertise of the Feadship refit specialists at yards elsewhere in Europe.
In addition to welcoming Venus to the yard, the craftsmen in Makkum will soon get to work on the awesome Ecstasea. The current owners have decided to have a wide range of design changes carried out in Feadship style throughout the interior. This 86-metre beauty from 2009 will also have her crew interior refreshed and an owners’ gym installed in the helicopter hangar. In addition, Ecstasea will have various new exterior design features added along with a selection of bespoke technical maintenance activities.
Feadship owners increasingly recognise that the only way to ensure their pure custom Feadship remains a Feadship is to have major changes made by Feadship itself. Such is the demand that the group has rented some first-class facilities from a fellow yard in order to accommodate the refit of the 81-metre Air. Feadship teams will repaint the yacht’s superstructure there, make adaptations to the helicopter deck and conduct a range of technical maintenance activities and upgrades.
Meanwhile, the expanding market for refits of the highest calibre has prompted Feadship to further professionalise its organisation in this area. Later this year will see the launch of ‘Feadship Refit and Services’, a new dedicated entity which is being set up to support the refit activities of the Feadship teams in the Netherlands and abroad. More news on these developments will be released in due course.
