Alia Yachts launches 55m Al Waab II
Alia Yachts launches 55m Al Waab II, the longest steel and aluminium yacht below 500GT in the world. Antalya-based Alia Yachts has launched its new 55-metre superyacht Al Waab II following an extremely challenging two-year contract time. Al Waab II remains below the 500GT threshold by emphasising the hull form and exterior areas, including a sprawling beach club. The official World debut will take place in late September 2021.
The new 55-metre Al Waab II is the first superyacht to be launched from the new 2,000- tonne capacity ship lift, part of a wider investment by the Antalya Free Zone into its yacht building infrastructure that includes bigger cranes and travel lifts as well as new hangars for superyacht construction and refit projects. “We’re very proud of Al Waab II. We believe it is the longest steel and aluminium yacht below 500GT in the world, setting a new standard in external & internal volumes offered to a client in this category,” says Alia President, Gökhan Çelik. “Yachts are getting longer and wider, but owners still want to stay below the 500GT mark. We’ve seen increasing interest in this kind of yacht and so to be one of the first with such an impressive project is an important milestone for Alia.” Not with standing the many challenges faced by Alia and other shipyards during the Covid-19 pandemic, the launch took place only a few weeks behind the original build schedule.
“The last two years have been difficult, but we took a lot of health and safety measures, and to offset delays experienced by the European suppliers we worked around the problem and found ways to recreate lost time,” continues Çelik. “The fact we’ve done it in just over two years despite everything is a credit to the determination of the men and women who work here.” Al Waab II remains below the 500GT threshold by emphasising the hull form and exterior areas, including a sprawling beach club. With design and engineering by Vripack and Dubai-based SF Yachts serving as the owner’s representative during the build, the yacht can sleep up to 12 guests in six staterooms and includes a lavish split-level master suite on the upper deck.
“The owner wanted a customised yacht that feels modern, fresh and most importantly like a home, and by that he means comfort, space, luxury, privacy and stability at sea,” says Francesco Pitea, CEO of SF Yachts. “The amount of outdoor space and the simplicity of the layout makes a big difference to the owner’s enjoyment of his yacht. It’s a dream moment after two years of hard work. We at SF Yachts couldn’t be more proud of Al Waab II and the amazing collaborations with Vripak and Alia. For many owners, the concept of enjoying a ‘home at sea’ is what drives their passion for yachting,” says Bart Bouwhuis, Co-creative Director at Vripack. The owner of Al Waab II had the explicit desire to use his boat as a family apartment. That desire became the founding principle of the entire design. The result is the very essence of living on the water. Once outfitting is complete, Al Waab II will undergo sea trials before delivery to her owner. The official World debut will take place late September 2021.
Alia Yachts was founded in 2008 by Gökhan Çelik, together with his business partner Ömer Koray, in Antalya, Turkey. Its Lloyd’s certified facilities are equipped for cutting-edge yacht construction and refit of yachts up to 80 meters in steel, aluminium as well as specialized carbon-reinforced composites. With the recently completed expansion the shipyard currently has 25.000 m2 of indoor capacity, including 4.000 m2 dedicated to their wholly owned, award winning interior joinery factory.
Vripack is a yacht design studio, made strong through its extensive naval architecture and engineering experience. From the moment it threw open its doors in 1961, Vripack studio’s approach to design has been governed by the playful interaction between form and function. With a portfolio that represents over 7000 designs, Vripack has been able to evolve its processes to be as efficient and as effective as possible. Vripack’s unique working structure, which provides a holistic approach to the design of a yacht, ensures that we produce better boats in less time. Our involvement in the entire process of designing the safest and most durable yachts ensures that clients and their guests feel at home at sea.
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