Dutch shipbuilder Damen and its luxury yacht-building affiliate Amels are together building a new 75-m expedition yacht that will have exceptional capability for heli-skiing, diving and other tropical and polar adventures. 

The second in its SeaXplorer series, the highly customised luxury yacht will have a dive centre, submersible hangar, as well as a floating heliport for two aircraft.

It’s been sold to a customer who plans to visit some of the most beautiful and remote areas of the world, along with his guests. 

“They will be skiing and snowboarding on pristine slopes like Kamchatka and sport fishing or submersible diving in places like Papua New Guinea and the Galápagos Islands,” says Commercial Director Rose Damen. “They will be in places with no supporting infrastructure, no roads and no heliports within range. So we designed the SeaXplorer 75 to carry out such complex operations with the highest level of safety, redundancy and autonomy.”

In accordance with the owner’s requirements, Damen has designed the 75.15-m yacht with a gross tonnage of approximately 2,500 GT. 

The owner will take delivery of the yacht in the second half of 2020.

“Our designs in the SeaXplorer range are a great starting point to quickly create customised yachts for specific requirements,” comments Mark Vermeulen, Damen Product Director. “The SeaXplorer 75 shares the range’s core attributes: compliance with the IMO Polar Code, the long periods of autonomy at sea, and the crossover of superyacht luxury with professional capability.”  

The SeaXplorer 75 accommodates 12 guests as well as 25 crew and expedition staff. The full custom interiors will feature the finest luxury quality and finishing created by the Owner’s choice of interior designer. The layout includes plenty of outdoor spaces for al fresco dining and enjoying the sun and sea, SeaXplorer’s unique bow point observation lounge with panoramic views, and seven luxurious suites on Main Deck and Upper Deck.

Damen says it is prudent to have two helicopters on board the yacht, given the risks that accompany off-piste heli-skiing and heli-boarding. 

When flying a helicopter into remote mountainous terrain, landing at high altitude in low temperatures and unpredictable turbulence, with the possibility of poor visibility, avalanches, then having a back-up helicopter becomes more of a necessity than a luxury, the builder says.

Other features of the SeaXplorer 75 include a swim platform leading to the dive dentre (prep, changing, dry room, tank store and compressor room), below-deck submersible hangar, below-deck toy store for jet skis, snowmobiles, tender garage for 10.5-m beach party lander, additional dive support tender and crew/rescue tender, a wellness centre, sun deck Jacuzzi, retractable zero-speed stabilisers for use in ice conditions and huge tank deck provisions stores and garbage management.