Feadship Launches First Superyacht for Mainland China

Feadship has launched the 44.65-metre Blue Sky in a ceremony that combined Chinese and Dutch maritime cultures. This is the first superyacht to be built by a Western shipyard for a client in mainland China. The owner sent his personal representative to accept delivery of a fabulous Feadship that includes her own helicopter deck and dedicated karaoke and Mah-jong rooms.

The colourful launch event included a wide range of Chinese influences, including lion dancers. Blue Sky was jointly christened by the owner’s representative (it is traditional for males to perform the ceremony in China) and Jeanette van Mil, wife of Operational Director Peter van Mil (maintaining the European tradition of a lady cracking the champagne bottle).

Feadship director Dick van Lent hailed this as an example of the cross-cultural symbiosis that had been the hallmark of the cooperation during the construction of Blue Sky. “We are very proud to have partnered with the owner, who is a pioneer in his country when it comes to owning the very best motoryacht that money can buy,” he commented during his speech.

“It is also a great honour for Feadship to complete the order for an exclusive superyacht for the People’s Republic of China. Feadship made history by being the first Western yard to deliver to South America in the 1930s. We were the first European yard to build custom yachts for the United States in the 1950s and in the Middle East a decade later. Having also led the way over recent decades in Africa and other areas of the Far East, everyone at Feadship is delighted to now do the same in China.”

Blue Sky has a steel hull and aluminium superstructure, with an exterior styling developed by Feadship and Sinot Yacht Design. The interior design is from the boards of Bannenberg & Rowell Design and Sinot Yacht Design. “We very much enjoyed the smooth cooperation with the owners and their representatives in China,” says Dickie Bannenberg. “Blue Sky features a fresh contemporary interior with lots of lightweight loose furniture. The sky deck lounge is a dedicated karaoke space with an 85-inch television, while the Mah-jong room is found aft of the wheelhouse and includes a state-of-the-art table that shuffles the tiles and deals the dice automatically. This room can also be converted into an additional cabin with its own bathroom.”

“In addition to her unique helicopter deck for a yacht of this length, Blue Sky must also be one of the first superyachts to have two separate areas for Chinese pastimes,” adds Francis Vermeer, head of marketing at Feadship. “With both the owner’s stateroom and the four guest suites located on the main deck, phenomenal views await those who will soon be sailing onboard this landmark project in the history of global yachting.”

Technical specifications

Builder:   Feadship

Type: Twin screw motor yacht, steel hull and aluminium superstructure

Length overall:   44.65m    146.’6”

Beam overall:    9.20m      30’2”

Draft (loaded):   2.70m      8’10”

Fuel capacity:  40,450 litres  (10,650 US gallons)

Fresh water capacity:  10,000 litres  (2,600 US gallons)

Design                             

Naval Architect:   Feadship De Voogt Naval Architects

Exterior styling:   Feadship / Sinot Yacht Design

Interior design:   Bannenberg & Rowell Design / Sinot Yacht Design

Propulsion

Main engines:  2x MTU 12V2000M70 – 788 kW / 1055 bhp

Generators:   2x Caterpillar C9 – 146kW / 1500 rpm

Stabilizers:  VTNaiad Marine zero-speed stabilizers

Max. speed:   14.5 knots

Range:  Transatlantic

Accommodation

Owner:  Owner’s stateroom with separate bathroom and dressing room

Guests:   Two guests in owner’s lounge; eight guests in four guest staterooms

Crew:  Eight crew in four crew cabins; two in captains cabin. Laundry and storage rooms on lower deck

Water sports:   7.50m tender / snorkel and scuba gear