It’s full steam ahead for Heesen.
The Dutch shipyard has completed its first delivery of 2026, with four superyachts totaling over 530 feet and nearly 2,180 GT expected to hit the seas this year.
Christened Pa’lante, colloquial Spanish for “forward” or “ahead,” the new 180-footer is rooted in the yard’s “Smart Custom” design ethos, giving the owner a proven platform that they can personalize without adding to the construction time. It is essentially a semi-custom cruiser that sits squarely between a production boat and a one-off. The 237-foot Project Ananda, which will become Heesen’s largest steel superyacht upon delivery in 2030, will also be based on the Smart Custom platform.
“A successful speculative build programme requires absolute confidence in naval architecture and engineering, disciplines we maintain entirely in-house,” Heesen CEO Jeroen van der Meer said in a statement. “By continually refining a proven steel platform with operational data, we optimise both efficiency and reliability. Such a rigorous approach guarantees uncompromising quality while significantly reducing delivery times.”
A bird’s-eye view of the superyacht.
