Damen Shipyards Galati marked the keel laying of the SeaXplorer expedition yacht last week.

The owner attended the ceremony and welded the traditional coin on the keel. Following the hull building phase, the 77-meter luxury expedition yacht (253 ft) will arrive at Damen’s Vlissingen East yard in the Netherlands for completion and on-schedule delivery in Q4 2020, the company said. 

The SeaXplorer 77 is a customised design from the Damen SeaXplorer range. The yacht accommodates 12 guests in six suites with full custom interiors, featuring the finest luxury quality and finishing created by the owner’s choice of interior designer.

The 25 crew, pilots and expedition staff operate the submersible, tenders, toys and two aircraft with a fully certified helideck and helicopter hangar.

“The SeaXplorer 77 is the largest of two projects we are currently constructing from our SeaXplorer range,” commented Product Director Mark Vermeulen. “The SeaXplorer 77 shares the range’s core attributes: compliance with the IMO Polar Code, the long periods of autonomy at sea, and the crossover of superyacht luxury with professional capability. But the design incorporates many specific client requirements such as his passion for heliskiing.”