Fast But Efficient

Project Jade is the third yacht in Heesen’s 50-metre fast-cruising class and the first of its kind below 500GT to comply with IMO Tier-III regulations.

The sporty exterior design is by Omega Architects, and the shipyard chose once again to work with Cristiano Gatto on the interior styling.

Project Jade is available for delivery in April 2024.

“Project Jade and the 50-metre fast-cruising series is an evolution of our very popular semi-displacement model that began with ‘Satori’, of which we sold eight examples,” says Heesen sales director Robert Drontmann.

“The current design was partly driven by the need to comply with the Tier III class rules that require big and bulky Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) units on the engines to filter out harmful exhaust emissions. The result was a complete redesign from top to bottom, including the hull, to allow for extra space in the engine room without detracting from the guest areas.

“Our engineering team developed an optimised, low-drag hull with a reduced transom depth for a shallow shaft angle, which makes Jade comfortable on longer passages and in rough seas, but she is also perfect for island-hopping in the shallow waters of the Bahamas, for example.

The ultra-efficient hull shape basically offers the same performance as the previous iteration but with smaller engines, reduced fuel consumption and lower emissions.

“Omega styled a gently curved superstructure for a sleeker aft end, and we created a multipurpose beach club that doubles as a tender garage. Usually, on yachts of this kind, you have to take a few steps down into the beach club, which means you lose the views and intimate contact with the sea. But on Jade, when the tender is launched and the transom hatch deployed, the whole area is on the same level, which makes all the difference.”