Last week, Heesen Yachts completed the joining of the hull and superstructure of Project Gemini. In addition, the twin MTU 8V 4000 M63 IMO Tier-III diesel engines were installed in the 55-metre steel class superyacht. Construction is on schedule for a 2022 delivery.
Project Gemini sports a patented steel Fast Displacement hull, devised by Dutch hydrodynamicists Van Oossanen and honed by Heesen’s in-house naval architects and engineers. The Heesen 55-metre Steel class has been optimised to deliver outstanding ride comfort both underway and at anchor.
By establishing its ideal metacentric height in all load conditions, and fine-tuning the tank layout and fluid distribution, the design’s stability has been carefully calibrated to be neither so tender as to feel unsafe nor so stiff as to feel uncomfortable. The stabiliser fins are also positioned further forward than usual, for effective roll damping with minimal impact on helm response.
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Project Gemini will be capable of a top speed of 15.5 knots, with a transatlantic range of 4500 nautical miles at 13 knots. Project Gemini will be delivered on October 28, 2022.
Crane integrated in the foremast
Frank Laupman of Omega Architects drew the lines of Gemini, while Luca Dini Design and Architecture created the interior. A foredeck tender stowage, served by a crane integrated into the foremast, provides operational efficiency without compromising the yacht’s exterior styling. This smart layout solution allows for a spacious beach club in the stern that offers guests direct access to the sea.
Twelve guests can be accommodated in six suites. The master stateroom is set forward and spans the full beam of the yacht, with floor-to-ceiling windows. On the lower deck are four guest suites, two twins and two doubles, while there is also a VIP stateroom located up on the bridge deck.
‘Building something as complex as a superyacht during the pandemic is challenging,’ says Rick van de Wetering, Heesen’s Chief Operating Officer. ‘But thanks to the reorganisation of our schedules and shifts, the great flexibility of the extended Heesen family, and above all to the passionate commitment of our superb craftsmen and women, we have been able to stick to our plans.’
Also read: Heesen to deliver six superyachts in 2021