Dutch builder Amels, the superyacht division of Damen, has announced that, just two weeks prior to the Monaco Yacht Show, the shipyard has sold the first 57.7m Amels 188 of the Limited Editions range. As with all the other yachts from the Limited Editions range, the new 188 has been designed by world-renowned Tim Heywood, the 57.7m is the first superyacht from the range to feature the Amels hybrid switchboard with battery power.

The Amels hybrid switchboard is the technical core of the boat, working in the background to combine the yacht’s three energy sources: mechanical (generators), electrical (battery bank) and heat (residual energy). The technology is the result of an 18-month research process, which the shipyard claims has provided a solid analytical basis for potential operating cost saving systems of over €100,000 per annum. The technology is designed to lower the total cost of ownership, while reducing the impact on the environment.

The 188 is also notable for its gross tonnage per metre. With a gross tonnage of 970, the superyacht has a particularly high-volume yacht considering the yacht’s length. This means that, per one metre, the 188 has 16.8 gross tonnes, which works out as 4.8gt more per one meter than the 55m Amels Limited Editions.

“The Amels 188 is a high-volume yacht with particularly spacious interiors,” says commercial director Rose Damen. “She has a big beach club and the owner’s suite folding balcony is quite spectacular. She also has a unique character in design that personifies Tim Heywood’s signature with athletic forms. We’re very much looking forward to handing her over to her owner and seeing her on the water next year.”

Although the contract has only just been signed, the Amels 188 has a surprisingly quick construction time, and is planned to be on the water and delivered in the summer of 2018. An impressive feat, given this yacht has been developed to include hybrid switchboard technology which has never before been utilised on board an Amels Limited Editions yacht.

Since the Limited Editions were first introduced by Amels over 10 years ago in 2005, over 30 of them, from 55m to 83m, have been sold. “The Amels 188 is a great example of the synergy between Amels and Damen,” says Damen sales director Roland Briene. “It shows how the Limited Editions range benefits clients, by not only leveraging the group’s financial strength for fast delivery and smooth production, but also thanks to the know-how within Damen.”

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