Heesen the Project Pollux launch
This is Heesen’s newest build, Project Pollux, with interior design by acclaimed British designer Bannenberg & Rowell. Only the second in the new generation of Heesen’s 55-metre Steel class, she is now undergoing intensive sea trials in the North Sea.
Ultra-fuel efficient, with a remarkable range of 4,500 nautical miles, she is designed for travelling to beautiful remote destinations in ultimate privacy. Her vast interiors accommodate 12 guests across six luxurious staterooms, including a spacious 82 sqm owner’s apartment. Dark eucalyptus and pale sycamore joinery, with chevron parquet flooring in the main saloon, provide a bold and masculine design scheme with an eye-catching bar installation. Geometric shapes, natural tones, and tactile finishes used throughout the interiors create a sophisticated and relaxing ambience. Key features include tenders and water toys, a beach club, a vast sundeck of no less than 100 square metres, a generous bar, and a supersize hot tub.
Says Arthur Brouwer, CEO of Heesen. “What we learnt during the pandemic is to react fast, think deeply, then execute fearlessly and swiftly. Our business plans are changing so much, and how to take care of the client has meant we need to be enormously flexible in what we do. This industry thinks 3,4,5 years ahead we don’t have this time, we live by the month or the quarter, so it makes us more able and more scenario driven than ever before. And that’s fun, by the way. You need good people, a robust organisation to do that, but it has been an enormous joy for us – to work with our teams, and all the people building boats. They know we’ll take care of them and they’ll take care of the customers.”
Asking after the latest industry design trends, he responds: “In terms of design trends that are hitting the industry more widely, I’d say eco-design – hybrid technology and Fast Displacement Hulls – more fuel efficient and ecologically friendly with the option for a silent mode. Then sport fishing equipment – chairs installed at the back of the boat. There’s a greater use of glass and indoor-outdoor spaces – people are looking for winter gardens, beach clubs, swim platforms and any spaces that give them direct access to nature and the ocean. Then there’s special features like nemo rooms where you can see fish underwater, snow rooms, spas and gyms. Interestingly too are toys and toy carriers: submarines, helicopters, jeeps, jet skis, seabobs, fly boards.”
Mark Cavendish, Chief Commercial Officer of Heesen, commented “I think in the future we’re going to see a completely different style of yachting. The next generation of yacht owners, who are the children of current owners, will be more adventurous. Instead of cruising up and down the Mediterranean, you may see yachts heading up into the Arctic. These explorer-style boats are going to need a completely different evolution in the way they operate, for example the ability to stay at sea for longer periods and the need for more medical facilities.”
