Heesen has announced the sale of Project Akira, YN 20457, with Wes Sanford of Northrop & Johnson and James Corts of MarineMax introducing the client. Frank Laupman of Omega Architects penned a distinctive profile, Harrison Eidsgaard worked closely with Frank Laupman and Heesen’s in-house engineers to create an efficient and purposeful layout.
Personalizing The Yacht
The owners and their team are working with Harrison Eidsgaard and Heesen’s interior engineer to personalize the yacht and meet their tastes and lifestyle. Akira will offer plenty of outdoor space to enjoy life at sea and generous indoor areas in which to socialize and relax. “We couldn’t be happier to have matched this family with such an excellent Dutch shipyard. In Project Akira, Heesen, Harrison Eidsgaard, and Omega Architects have developed an incredible yacht for cruising the world and, even more specifically, exploring The Bahamas,” said Wes and James, commenting on the sale.
The shipyard presented the 57-meter series design at the Monaco Yacht Show in 2019, and construction of YN 20457 began in February 2022 as a speculative venture. The official keel-laying was witnessed by the American Bureau of Shipping surveyor. To mark the occasion, four Heesen employees celebrating their 25th work anniversary carried out the first welds. Another milestone was marked on November 18, 2022, when Akira’s two IMO Tier III-compliant MTU 16V 4000 M65L engines were installed. This propulsion package, in concert with the super-efficient hull design, will give the yacht a maximum speed of 22 knots – quite remarkable for a superyacht displacing approximately 490 tonnes at half load and with no shortage of luxury.
Luxurious Interiors
Heesen Yachts Interiors, Heesen’s fine cabinetry workshop in Winterswijk, is responsible for handcrafting the refined bespoke furniture for Project Akira. “It is a very exciting time for our shipyard as YN 20457 Project Akira is the first in a new class of yachts, which we have carefully studied and engineered to deliver optimum luxury on water. We look forward to working with the Owners and their family to build a yacht that will provide many days of happy sailing and create long-lasting memories,” says Mark Cavendish, Heesen CCO.
Project Akira is the first in Heesen’s new 57-meter all-aluminum series of fast yachts, with an enclosed volume of approximately 780 GT and a lightweight, ultra-efficient Fast Displacement Hull Form. Heesen is one of the few shipyards in the world with the in-house capability to weld such high-performance structures to the required tolerances.
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Source: Yachtharbour
