Heesen has announced an update on Project Orion (Hull YN 20750), as the hull and superstructure were joined together at their facility in Oss. Named after NASA’s new exploration spacecraft, 163.4ft (49.8m) Project Orion will combine hybrid propulsion with the ultra-performing Fast Displacement Hull Form (FDHF) on a lightweight aluminum yacht.
Featured Image Credit: Ruben Griffioen
Project Orion
Long-term design partner of Heesen, Frank Laupman of Omega Architects utilizes an “expansive use of structural glass and open bulwarks.”
While yacht interior designs are being completed by Cristiano Gatto, with six luxury staterooms available for 12 guests. A large owner’s suite is located on the main deck, with floor to ceiling windows, with the remaining two twins, two doubles and one VIP cabin found on the lower deck.
The Heesen team shares, Project Orion is the evolution of the yachts before her and feature two major layout changes, “By moving the engine room forward, we have created a generous wellness area of about 26sqm, which grants direct access to the large, fixed swim platform equipped with a practical transformer ladder, ready for the guests to use as soon as the captain drops the anchor. A sauna, a gymnasium and a day head with a shower stall make this area the perfect haven for the body and mind to regenerate before enjoying a dip in the crystal-clear water of bays with shallow depth. Project Orion boasts a shallow draft of just 2.15m that allows her to cruise in the Bahamas and the small creeks in the Mediterranean, granting the owners and their guests the unparalleled experience usually offered by much smaller yachts but in the five-star comfort and luxury of a superyacht!”
Image Credit: Ruben Griffioen
The sundeck has also been altered to open up the area, by pushing the pool forward on the deck, surrounding it with sunpads and loungers to allow more privacy for guests. “An expansive wet bar, a dining table in the shade under the hard top, and relaxation areas both aft and fore, make the 77sqm the ideal entertainment space.”
Project Orion offers added fuel efficiency thanks to two MTU 12V 2000 M61 (IMO III) engines of just 600kW which are more compact than those typically fitted on a yacht of this size.
Image Credit: Ruben Griffioen
Heesen’s “50m FHDF series is not only ultra-quiet but also extremely fuel-efficient. At 12 knots, Orion will consume 98 liters per hour, excluding hotel load, while at 10 knots in hybrid mode, consumption falls to a mere 45 liters per hour.”
Project Orion is on track for delivery in the first quarter of 2025.
