The ceremonial  keel  laying  took place at the shipyard’s facility in Kiel. Following a short address from the yard management,  an  80-ton  block section  was  lifted by crane into place in the building shed. As tradition requires, the owner brought along a special coin that was placed under the keel. Once construction is near completion, the coin will be retrieved and presented back to the owner for good luck.

“This happy occasion indicates the start of the hull assembly of the superyacht, when, for the first time she is considered to have a soul,” said Holger Kahl, Managing Director (pictured). “It is also a traditional maritime ceremony to bring good fortune to a vessel during her construction and to her captain, guests and crew during her life.”

The shipyard has not divulged details of the yacht, but promises more information later in the year. For the time being, it describes the project as a “technically fascinating yacht with outstanding, unique design features both in the exterior and interior styling will noticeably set a mark for the future use of glass on superyachts.”

Formerly part of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) that included HDW and Blohm+Voss, today Nobiskrug is owned by Privinvest Holding. Based in Rendsburg on the Kiel Canal, it can leverage the resources of its two sister yards: German Naval Yards Kiel and Lindenau Werft. It first made an impact on the superyacht world with 92.5m Tatoosh, one of the largest yachts in the world at the time of her launch in 2000.

A series of deliveries followed in rapid succession, including 67m Triple Seven, 73.5m Siren, 60m Jamaica Bay, 68m Sycara V, 74m Flying Fox (ex-Graffiti), 73.5m Sapphire, 73.5m Mogambo and 73m Odessa II (not forgetting the refit of the 1929 classic motoryacht Nahlin in conjunction with Blohm+Voss). It most recently delivered 143m Sailing Yacht A, which spent a brief spell in Gibraltar under admiralty arrest in a legal dispute over final payment to the yard.

“Nobiskrug is known for pushing the boundaries and for not being a mass builder, every superyacht we build represents a unique vision of the owner,” added Holger Kahl. “This project is just another example we are very proud of.”

Following the keel laying ceremony, the owner and guests lunched in the Sky-Lounge on top of the 900-ton gantry crane, one of Kiel’s landmarks located 100m above the ground with a panoramic view of the Kiel Fjord.

Still to be named, the 80m superyacht is due to be delivered in 2019.

photo credit: logo image and portrait of Holger Kahl by Justin Ratcliffe

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NOBISKRUG (part of Privinvest)

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