The World’s Most Exclusive Yacht Builders: From Feadship to Lürssen

The world’s finest superyachts are not purchased — they are commissioned. The process of ordering a bespoke superyacht from one of the world’s leading shipyards is among the most complex and rewarding undertakings available to the ultra-high-net-worth individual, requiring years of collaboration between owner, designer and builder to produce a vessel that is entirely unique.

The Great Shipyards

Feadship — The Netherlands Feadship is widely regarded as the pinnacle of superyacht construction. A collaborative venture between two of the Netherlands’ oldest and most distinguished shipyards — De Vries and Van Lent — Feadship has been building custom superyachts since 1949. Every Feadship is entirely bespoke, built to the precise specification of its owner, with no two vessels identical.

Feadship’s client list reads as a who’s who of the world’s wealthiest individuals. The shipyard’s reputation for engineering excellence, build quality and long-term reliability has made it the first choice for owners seeking a vessel that will serve them and their families for decades.

Lürssen — Germany Lürssen is Germany’s most celebrated superyacht builder and the constructor of some of the largest and most technically complex vessels ever built. The Bremen-based shipyard has produced many of the world’s ten largest superyachts, including vessels exceeding 100 metres in length.

Lürssen’s engineering capabilities are unmatched in the industry. The shipyard is one of the few builders in the world capable of constructing naval vessels and superyachts to the same exacting standards — a testament to the depth of technical expertise available.

Benetti — Italy Benetti is the world’s oldest superyacht builder in continuous operation, founded in Livorno in 1873. The Tuscan shipyard combines Italian design excellence with over 150 years of shipbuilding heritage, producing vessels that are as celebrated for their interior design as for their engineering.

Benetti’s Giga and Mega yacht programmes — producing vessels between 50 and 100 metres — represent the full spectrum of Italian luxury at sea.

Heesen — The Netherlands Heesen specialises in fast displacement superyachts — vessels that combine the interior volume of a traditional displacement yacht with performance characteristics typically associated with much smaller craft. The shipyard’s FDHF hull technology delivers speeds of 25+ knots without sacrificing interior space or seakeeping ability.

Amels — The Netherlands Amels has pioneered the Limited Editions concept — a range of semi-custom superyachts built to a proven naval architecture but customisable in terms of interior design and specification. The approach allows owners to commission a yacht of extraordinary quality in a fraction of the time required for a fully bespoke vessel.

The Commissioning Process

Commissioning a superyacht from one of the world’s leading shipyards typically involves the following stages: initial concept discussions with the owner; appointment of a naval architect and interior designer; detailed specification and contract negotiation; construction, which typically takes three to five years for vessels above 50 metres; sea trials and delivery.

The cost of commissioning a bespoke superyacht from a leading shipyard ranges from €10 million for a 30-metre vessel to over €500 million for the world’s largest and most complex projects.

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