- Founded
- 1978
- Headquarters
- Rijnstraat 2, 5347 KL Oss, The Netherlands
- Shipyard location
- Oss, The Netherlands
- Official website
- https://www.heesenyachts.com/
Brand Overview
Dutch superyacht yard at Oss, founded by Frans Heesen in 1978, building aluminium and steel motor yachts entirely in-house — five semi-custom Heesen Series platforms from 50 to 57 metres, built on speculation for short delivery, alongside Smart Custom and Full Custom yachts.
YachtCodex Analysis
AI-generatedAn independent reading of this builder written by AI. Unlike the specifications and descriptions elsewhere on this page, it is interpretation rather than a sourced fact — treat it as a starting point, not a citation.
What this builder is
Heesen began in 1978 when Frans Heesen took over a shipyard in Oss harbour that built aluminium Striker boats; the 20-metre Amigo of 1979 was the first yacht to carry his name, the 38-metre Octopussy of 1988, at over 50 knots, made the yard known worldwide, and the 50-metre Achiever of 1992 opened a line of steel displacement yachts. Heesen says it was the first superyacht builder to introduce the semi-custom platform model, in 2003. Frans Heesen stepped back in 2012, and in April 2025 the yard announced its full acquisition by the Dutch entrepreneur and investor Laurens Last. Headquarters and shipyard are at Rijnstraat 2 in Oss, with Heesen Interiors at Winterswijk and an office in Monaco, and the yachts are built entirely in-house. Heesen sells three ways: Heesen Series — fully engineered platforms built on speculation and sold during construction — Smart Custom, a proven hull under a custom superstructure, and Full Custom. The current Series are the 50m Aluminium Semi-displacement, the 50m Aluminium FDHF, the new 50m Steel FDHF, the 55m Steel FDHF and the 57m Aluminium FDHF, most on the Fast Displacement Hull Form devised by Van Oossanen, with hybrid propulsion available.
Who sails them
Heesen owners are experienced superyacht buyers who want a Dutch-built 50-to-57-metre yacht without a multi-year custom build: they pick a proven, fully engineered platform already under construction, personalise the interior and decks as far as the schedule allows, and value low fuel burn, ocean-crossing range, silent hybrid cruising and the depth of a series with sisterships.
Signature models
The 55m Steel FDHF is the yard's most successful platform, with Moskito, MY Reliance, Serena, Iris Blue, Solemates, Agnetha and Pa'lante delivered and Project Diana in build; among custom builds the heritage page singles out the 70-metre Galactica Super Nova, the largest Heesen of 2016, and the 80-metre, 30-knot Project Cosmos announced for the yard's 40th anniversary.
Strengths
Heesen is known for building aluminium and steel yachts in one yard and entirely in-house, for the patented Fast Displacement Hull Form behind its efficient long-range yachts, for early hybrid propulsion (Home, 2017), for a speculative build programme that shortens delivery, and for a deep fleet of sisterships on each platform.
Considerations
A Series platform has no page of its own, so its figures are those of its newest hull, and interiors, designers and engines differ from hull to hull; power is printed in kW only, draft and speed at half load and range at a stated speed, and no displacement is given except in Orion's text (295 tons); the 50m Steel FDHF's first hull, Project Grace, is not due until 2028; and how much a Series yacht can be customised depends on how far its construction has gone.
Analysis generated 10/17/2026
Part of
Fleet at a Glance
Calculated from the models in the YachtCodex catalog, not from the builder's claims.
- Models in catalog
- 5
- Length range
- 49.8–56.7 m
- Hull forms
- Motor Monohull 5
- Cabins
- 5–6
Models by this brand
5 models
History
In 1978 the entrepreneur Frans Heesen took over an existing shipyard in Oss harbour and began producing aluminium Striker boats. A year later the 20-metre Amigo was launched, the first yacht to bear the Heesen name, and Heesen Shipyards was born. The 38-metre Octopussy of 1988, at over 50 knots the fastest luxury yacht in the world, was the yard's worldwide breakthrough. In 1992 the 50-metre Achiever, built for long voyages, became the first of many steel displacement yachts, and in 1996 Obsessions was, when launched, the largest and most powerful sport fisherman in the world. An expansion in 2008 raised capacity to up to eight yachts a year. Galactica Star (2013, 65 m) was Heesen's first fast displacement yacht, Alive (2014) the first yacht in the world to harness a Hull Vane, and the 70-metre Galactica Super Nova (2016) its largest yacht so far, the year a new 85-metre dry dock opened. Home (2017) introduced a cleaner, quieter hybrid solution, and for its 40th anniversary in 2018 the yard announced the 80-metre Project Cosmos, with a top speed of 30 knots. On 7 April 2025 Heesen announced its full acquisition by the Dutch entrepreneur and investor Laurens Last.
History written fromheesenyachts.com/heritage/· The Heesen Heritageread 10/17/2026