Damen SeaXplorer hit a milestone in the construction of its SeaXplorer 77 expedition yacht at a keel laying ceremony at Damen Shipyards Galati, on the banks of the Danube. The owner attended the ceremony to weld the traditional coin on the keel. Following the hull building phase, the (253-foot) 77-meter luxury expedition yacht will arrive at Damen’s Vlissingen East yard in the Netherlands for completion. 

The SeaXplorer 77 is a custom design in the Damen SeaXplorer range. The yacht will accommodate up to 12 guests in six suites with full custom interiors, featuring the finest luxury quality and finishing created by the owner’s choice of interior designer. The 25 crew, pilots and expedition staff operate the submersible, tenders, toys and two aircraft with a fully certified helideck and helicopter hangar.

“The SeaXplorer 77 is the largest of two projects we are currently constructing from our SeaXplorer range,” says Product Director Mark Vermeulen. “The SeaXplorer 77 shares the range’s core attributes: compliance with the IMO Polar Code, the long periods of autonomy at sea, and the crossover of superyacht luxury with professional capability. But the design incorporates many specific client requirements such as his passion for heliskiing.”

The construction of SeaXplorer 77 leverages the Damen Shipyard Group’s global strength, combining: Overall management from Damen’s yachting headquarters in Vlissingen in cooperation with superyacht builder Amels, part of Damen since 1991; SeaXplorer design and engineering at Damen Shipyards Gorinchem, in the Netherlands; Hull building at Damen Shipyards Galati, the largest of Damen’s 33 shipyards around the world. The yard’s almost 4,000 employees work on many of Damen’s most important projects to date including the 160-meter IMO Polar Code category-compliant Australian Antarctic Division research ship Nuyina.

Final construction and outfitting will take place at Damen’s Vlissingen East yard, located just a few kilometers from the Vlissingen City yard where Amels operates. A commercial and naval shipyard at heart, Vlissingen East is an integral part of Damen’s yacht building and refit offering, with a number of superyacht refit projects for yachts measuring over 90 meters having already been completed.

Delivery is expected for late 2020. 

For more information: seaxplorer.nl