Yacht support vessels, also known as a shadow yacht or shadow vessel, are specialized ships which provide support and auxiliary functions for large sailing and motor yachts. [1]
Yacht support vessels, also known as a shadow yacht or shadow vessel, are specialized ships which provide support and auxiliary functions for large sailing and motor yachts. [1]
In general yacht support vessel are outfitted to support a specific megayacht mothership with their own features tailored to compliment or match those of the main vessel. [2] Support yachts are normally intended to carry the "toys" of the super rich, whether they be a rigid inflatable boat, a fishing boat, luxury yacht tender, jet-ski or submersible. [3]
A helipad is a common feature, especially when supporting sailing yachts which do not have their own landing pad. [3]
Some yacht support vessels are designed to support their owner's scientific research. [4]
Incat Crowther [5] and the Damen Group are major builders of yacht support vessels. [3] Florida based Shadow Marine converts offshore supply vessels into yacht support vessels. [6]
A superyacht or megayacht is a large and luxurious pleasure vessel. There are no official or agreed upon definitions for such yachts, but these terms are regularly used to describe professionally crewed motor or sailing yachts, ranging from 40 metres (130 ft) to more than 180 metres (590 ft) in length, and sometimes include yachts as small as 24 metres (79 ft).
A yacht tender is a vessel used for servicing and providing support and entertainment to a private or charter yacht. They include utilitarian craft, powered by oar or outboard motor, and high-speed luxury craft, supporting superyachts, powered by inboard engines, some using water-jets. Some superyachts have a support vessel that follows them with bulky items that are not conveniently stowed aboard the main yacht, such as a helicopter, automobile or larger watercraft.
Maltese Falcon is a full-rigged ship using DynaRig technology, which was built by Perini Navi in Tuzla, Istanbul, and commissioned by her first owner, Tom Perkins. She is one of the world's most complex and largest sailing yachts at 88 m (289 ft), similar in size to the Athena and Eos. The vessel dropped its BVI flag in 2008 and was purchased by Pleon Ltd, which put it to charter use.
Nobiskrug is a shipyard located on the Eider River in Rendsburg, Germany, specialized in building innovative, custom-made luxury superyachts.
Motor Yacht A is a superyacht designed by Philippe Starck and engineered by naval architect Martin Francis. It was built by the Blohm + Voss shipyard at the HDW deepwater facility in Kiel. It was ordered in November 2004, and delivered in 2008 at a rumoured cost of US$300 million. With a length of 119 metres (390 ft) and measuring almost 6,000 tonnes, it is one of the largest motor yachts in the world. Before 2022 she was connected with the Russian entrepreneur and industrialist Andrey Melnichenko, but, according to his representatives, he has no relation to it anymore, neither in terms of ownership, nor in any other way. The yacht has been laid up in the United Arab Emirates since 2022
Ocean Victory is a Fincantieri super yacht, designed by Espen Øino (Oeino) and Alberto Pinto. At 140m long she was at the time of her construction one of the top 10 largest yachts in the world. She is reported to have seven decks, a helipad, six pools, and can accommodate a 14m tender in a floodable garage. She can accommodate 36 guests.
Rossinavi, founded in 1980, is an Italian shipyard based in Viareggio and specialized in the construction of full-custom steel and aluminium superyachts.
Sailing Yacht A is a sailing yacht launched in 2015. The vessel is a sail-assisted motor yacht designed by Philippe Starck and built by Nobiskrug in Kiel, Germany for the Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko.
Black Pearl is a sailing yacht launched in 2016, which is 106.7 meters (350.1 ft) in length. It has three DynaRig masts supporting a sail area of 2,900 square meters (31,215 sq ft). The yacht was known during its build process originally as Oceanco Y712 and thereafter as "Project Solar". The hull is steel, the superstructure aluminum, and the masts carbon fiber. The yacht is owned by the family of Russian billionaire Oleg Burlakov, who died in 2021.
Ocean Alexander is a Taiwanese yacht manufacturer with shipyards in Taiwan and the United States. In 2021 it was the 4th largest yacht builder in the world by feet of yacht produced.
Jade Yachts is a Taiwanese yacht manufacturer headquartered in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. It is a subsidiary of the Jong Shyn Shipbuilding Company.
Wayfinder is a luxury supply yacht or auxiliary boat, of a type often referred as a supply vessel, shadow cat, shadow boat or yacht support vessel; ultimately, it is a yacht tender. Its task is to supply a pleasure yacht. A catamaran, its length is 68 metres, with a beam of 14 metres. Its main function is to provide its mothership with fossil fuel, foodstores, parts, and maintenance employees; it also serves as its heliport. Its fuel capacity is 200,000 litres, equivalent to 52,834 US gallons, to power its Diesel engines. In 2021, it sailed under the flag of the Cayman Islands.
Koru is a luxury custom superyacht owned by Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon. The vessel was built in the Netherlands by Oceanco starting in 2021, and delivered in April 2023. It is a three-masted sailing yacht 127 meters (417 ft) long and reported to have cost $500 million or more. When commissioned, the yacht was the second-largest sailing yacht in the world, after Andrey Melnichenko's Sailing Yacht A.
Kalizma is a luxury private motor yacht with a history that dates back to 1906. The yacht was once owned by the Hollywood actors Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.