With the recent sea trial of Game Changer, Amels has confirmed its supremacy of the fast-growing sector of yacht support vessels. The 69.2m Game Changer is the 11th in that category to date from the Dutch yard, and the fourth in the 70m segment.
Amels says owners want bigger tenders, more toys and helicopters. Its yacht support series gives them more capability for less than what a larger yacht costs. It calls that “the smart stretch”.
Game Changer has a fully-certified helideck and garage, 250sq m of deck space for tenders and toys, as well as 110sq m of space for extra provisions, fuel, luggage, spare parts and a dive center. It has offices, facilities and accommodation for 22 crew. In recent sea trials, Game Changer carried an 11.3m Wajer 38 luxury tender, a 10.5m Damen RHIB speedster and a U-Boat Worx sub.
The yacht support vessels are built by Damen Shipyards Group, Amels' owner that employs 9,000 people worldwide and has an annual turnover of $2bn. Amels handles the marketing of the yacht support vessels.
Amels marketing manager Victor Caminada told IBI that Game Changer costs $40m and can serve superyachts in the 80m to 120m range. "We have equipped the vessel with a fully certified helipad," he said. "If you are a paying guest you want everything on board to be fully in compliance with the law.”
Caminada said a helipad can also be installed on a 50m yacht support vessel such as the Fast and Furious that Amels premiered at Monaco last year.
Amels has 10 superyacht projects underway and this year marks the 10th anniversary of its bread-and-butter Limited Editions series of 50m-85m yachts. The yard has to date sold 30 Limited Editions that come in six lengths. Caminada says the series’ popularity means his yard always has one Limited Edition in build on spec.
After a 10-year pause, Amels has lately returned to full custom building for clients wanting yachts longer than 80m and has become a leader in explorer yachts. Amels sold its first Damen SeaXplorer in 2016. Amels’ parent is also active in defense, dredging, harbour, offshore and other sectors and commits 90 people to R&D.
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