If there is one thing that Dutch yacht building as an industry excels in, it is its versatility and innovativeness. Again, that is my first impression of the articles in SWZ|Maritime’s yacht building special compiled by our editor Sander Klos.
Whereas yacht building and shipbuilding used to be two very separate businesses, there is now plenty of cross-fertilisation taking place. It is therefore right and logical that the major yacht builders joined shipbuilding interest group Netherlands Maritime Technology (NMT) a few years ago.
Because yacht building has long since ceased to be “build a boat, hammer a few planks, put an engine in and sail away”. SWZ|Maritime therefore looked at the more serious work of contemporary yacht building. A sector that, for example, like so many others, faces the major challenges of the energy transition. On that subject, read how the Netherlands’ largest yachtbuilding consortium Feadship is investigating what climate-friendly fuels the large superyachts will have to run on in the future.
Also very interesting is the story of Master’s student Marijn van der Plas on how a sailing yacht can not only use the power of the wind for sailing, but also generate electricity for use on board. The generators running on fossil fuels can then stay off for longer and the yacht can then sail truly emission-free.
Also read: In SWZ|Maritime in August 2023: Dossier of the 125 years of KNVTS symposium
KM Yachtbuilders, Rubber Design and Larendael
As a reporter, Klos also went to visit KM Yachtbuilders in Makkum, Friesland, which celebrated its 25th anniversary this spring, characterising itself in its own press release as ‘a quirky expedition yacht builder’. Then, colleague Klos travelled to Rubber Design, a name that some may have a slightly different association with, but which is really a very reputable propeller shaft designer and builder for Dutch superyacht builders.
Also interesting is the article about the fancy-sounding Larendael, a project to bring the 66-ha site of the former Amsterdam Droogdok Maatschappij to new maritime life as a technical centre for (super)yacht building with 3000 jobs. Perhaps this would allow ships to not only be repaired in Amsterdam, but perhaps also for new ones (super yachts) to be built here again. A good plan, then.
Of course, this issue should not lack an article by MARIN employees, nor two articles by our colleague Björn von Ubisch. So enjoy reading this summery September issue.
This is editor-in-chief Antoon Oosting’s editorial accompanying the September 2023 issue.
Also read: In SWZ|Maritime in June 2023: Dutch shipbuilding and the last Maritime Monthly
SWZ Archive
Our digital archive is once again available to subscribers and they can read the digitial version of our September issue there. Subscribers can register here to gain access. Not yet a subscriber? Visit our subscription page.
Also read: SWZ|Maritime’s May 2023 navy special: New fleet for the Royal Netherlands Navy
The articles in SWZ|Maritime’s September issue
In addition to the regular sections such as Dutch news, Markets, Global news, book reviews, news from the KNVTS and Mars Report, the articles (some in Dutch) in the September issue are:
- Hoe krijg je je voortstuwing geschikt voor meer smaken?
- A bird’s-eye view of machine learning
- Omvangrijk werfplan aan Noordzeekanaal
- Rubber Design kijkt vooruit naar elektromotor
- Hydro generation on board sailing yachts
- KM Yachtbuilders studeert op 36-voeter van Dijkstra
- Integrating hydrodynamics with power poses challenge
- Zwijnenburg kijkt naar refit- en conversiemarkt
- Jongeren moeten cascobouw voor jachten leuk gaan vinden
- What really happened to the Estonia?
- Alternative marine fuels
- News from International Shipbuilding Progress
Picture: The Legend, which was converted into a motor yacht, underwent an extensive refit at Zwijnenburg Shipyard (photo Guy Fleury Photography, SWZ|Maritime’s September 2023 cover picture).
Also read: SWZ|Maritime’s April 2023 inland navigation special: Every little counts…
