So you think you know ISA?
Following its delivery of 66.4m 'Okto' to her owner, SuperyachtNews.com spoke to ISA's Hein Velema, who discussed the rebranding of the Italian yard over the last year, in preparation for the 2014 Monaco Yacht Show.…
ISA Yachts has announced the delivery of 66.4m Okto to her owner. The vessel, which can accommodate 12 guests and 17 crew, was designed by Andrea Valicelli wuth an interior by the late Alberto Pinto.
ISA Yachts CEO, Luciano Bregola, said of the delivery: “This gem of a yacht is the result of the perfect collaboration by a well concerted team of experts who designed, engineered, built and delivered a distinctive yacht which will set new standards in the industry. We are all extremely proud of her and [hope that] her owners … enjoy extensive world travels aboard such a magnificent yacht”.
Characterised by a black metallic steel hull and silver metallic aluminium superstructure, redolent of the ISA brand, Okto has a top speed of 18.5 knots and a cruising speed of 16.5 knots, courtesy of twin 1765kW Caterpillar 3512 C engines.
It is around a year since the yard’s strategy was overhauled and the brand reinvigorated. As the Monaco Yacht Show approaches, SuperyachtNews.com spoke exclusively to sales and marketing director, Hein Velema about what the industry can expect from the new-look ISA Yachts.
It is not only the propulsion system that has captured Velema’s imagination. Transas has also used the vessel to showcase its augmented reality bridge display. “From that point of view, it’s interesting because the technologies are brand new”, Velema says.
It will be Velema’s first Monaco show wearing the ISA badge and he is relishing the opportunity to present ISA redefined brand. Until the changes, he says, the yard’s focus was on the vessels themselves. But this, he says, is misrepresentative of the rapid evolution of build processes that has taken place behind closed doors over the last seven years.
The market may not be as strong as it was pre-recession but Velema agrees that is not necessarily a bad thing. “There is still over-capacity though, and while in other markets some of the other players would step out if there was a lack of demand, yacht building is so sexy that people keep coming back to it whether they’re making money or not.”
However, he insists that the market response to ISA’s new profile as been very positive and he expects this, combined with a modest market upturn, to contribute to an enjoyable show season.
The innovative bridge system that Velema refers to aboard Silver Wind is the subject of a feature in Issue 156 of The Superyacht Report.
ISA Yachts CEO, Luciano Bregola, said of the delivery: “This gem of a yacht is the result of the perfect collaboration by a well concerted team of experts who designed, engineered, built and delivered a distinctive yacht which will set new standards in the industry. We are all extremely proud of her and [hope that] her owners … enjoy extensive world travels aboard such a magnificent yacht”.
Characterised by a black metallic steel hull and silver metallic aluminium superstructure, redolent of the ISA brand, Okto has a top speed of 18.5 knots and a cruising speed of 16.5 knots, courtesy of twin 1765kW Caterpillar 3512 C engines.
It is around a year since the yard’s strategy was overhauled and the brand reinvigorated. As the Monaco Yacht Show approaches, SuperyachtNews.com spoke exclusively to sales and marketing director, Hein Velema about what the industry can expect from the new-look ISA Yachts.
Okto. Image courtesy of Paolo Zitti.
While Okto will not be on display, as unsurprisingly her owner is keen to take charge of his newly acquired vessel, Silver Wind will be there to represent the yard. The 43.63m superyacht, which was launched in June, is in Velema’s words “an interesting boat” to display and one that characterises the new ISA. “It is the first yacht in the world to combine waterjet propulsion with a hybrid engine package”, Velema says. “ It has a Siemens electric propulsion system at low speeds and then it switches to diesel at high speeds.”It is not only the propulsion system that has captured Velema’s imagination. Transas has also used the vessel to showcase its augmented reality bridge display. “From that point of view, it’s interesting because the technologies are brand new”, Velema says.
It will be Velema’s first Monaco show wearing the ISA badge and he is relishing the opportunity to present ISA redefined brand. Until the changes, he says, the yard’s focus was on the vessels themselves. But this, he says, is misrepresentative of the rapid evolution of build processes that has taken place behind closed doors over the last seven years.
The market may not be as strong as it was pre-recession but Velema agrees that is not necessarily a bad thing. “There is still over-capacity though, and while in other markets some of the other players would step out if there was a lack of demand, yacht building is so sexy that people keep coming back to it whether they’re making money or not.”
However, he insists that the market response to ISA’s new profile as been very positive and he expects this, combined with a modest market upturn, to contribute to an enjoyable show season.
The innovative bridge system that Velema refers to aboard Silver Wind is the subject of a feature in Issue 156 of The Superyacht Report.
Profile links
ISA - International Shipyards Ancona
Click here to become part of The Superyacht Group community, and join us in our mission to make this industry accessible to all, and prosperous for the long-term. We are offering access to the superyacht industry’s most comprehensive and longstanding archive of business-critical information, as well as a comprehensive, real-time superyacht fleet database, for just £10 per month, because we are One Industry with One Mission. Sign up here.
