Photo: Heesen Yachts (Composite)
It takes a lot to stand out on the overcrowded market of luxury yachts, but a shipyard like Heesen Yachts knows perfectly well what that entails. A recent example is the Ultra G custom superyacht, previously known as Project SkyFall and delivered to a new owner a short while ago.
It’s a complicated backstory that adds a touch of unsavory controversy to an otherwise exceptional build. Ultra G is described as the “best yacht ever” by the builder, and a sum of a bunch of impressive world firsts. That alone should make it more impressive beyond its controversial ownership – at least in theory.
A sanctioned owner and a custom yacht caught in limbo
Ultra G is a spectacular superyacht beyond its controversial ownership, but it should still warrant a second look, if only for the fun of it.
Photo: Heesen Yachts
With the similarly-styled Galactica (ex Project Cosmos), Ultra G was commissioned and customized for Lukoil boss billionaire Vagit Alekperov, who also happened to own Heesen Yachts at the time. If there’s one major advantage to owning your own superyacht yard, this has got to be it: the ability to build the boat of your dreams.
With the start of the war in Ukraine, Alekperov found himself on sanctions lists and, just a short while later, pushed out from the Heesen Yachts. Galactica was sold off to another, non-sanctioned owner by the state with assistance from the shipyard in the fall of 2023. That was an unprecedented move on the premium sector of the yacht market and as it turns out, a sign of things to come.
Heesen has recently confirmed that Ultra G had also been sold to another owner, even though it had been customized into the boat of Alekperov’s dreams. Delivery was more recent than what was initially believed, too and took place at the end of last month.
Photo: Heesen Yachts
Ultra G is now moored in the South of France, more likely preparing for the official start of the summer cruising season. When it does hit the water, it will do so as a haven for the new owner, who, hopefully, is as much into fishing and pets as Alekperov.
Unmatched features to create the “best yacht ever”
That last part isn’t a joke, though it might come across as one. Ultra G is the first superyacht in the world to come with a pet-dedicated area, where owners can take their pooches or cats for a walk and, once these have relieved themselves, the owners won’t have to bother cleaning up.
The so-called “relief area” is a section covered with artificial grass on one of the wraparound walkways, rigged with sensors so it’s capable of self-cleaning when it needs to. No millionaire should pick up pet poop on vacation, not if Heesen Yachts has a say in it.
Photo: Heesen Yachts
Ultra G has no beach club, and this is where its sportfishing heritage becomes apparent. Instead, the entire aft part is dedicated to the pleasures of fishing by means of a fisherman lounge and a fishing platform. The former includes everything from a proper lounge to chill and smoke cigars to a large screening area where the gents can lay back and watch live streams from the underwater cameras. The latter offers storage for up to 40 rods, flushing systems, and everything else, from freezers to live wells.
Heesen recently revealed another “world first” feature for Ultra G: the world’s first hidden U Safe remote-controlled lifebuoy. U Safe is a remote-controlled lifebuoy you can use to bring back onboard up to two people who may have gone overboard. In the case of a superyacht as fast as this one, getting to the person who needs rescuing in time is rendered more difficult, which is where U Safe comes in handy.
In this particular case, the life-saving buoy had to be camouflaged under a hatch in front of the steering station on the wheelhouse deck so that it wouldn’t protrude or be visible from the outside and thus clash with the distinctive design by Frank Laupman of Omega Architects. Having this kind of extra safety feature on a superyacht is great, but it shouldn’t mess with the aesthetics of it all.
Photo: Heesen Yachts
Ultra G is based on Heesen’s patented Van Oossanen Fast Displacement Hull Form (FDHF) naval architecture, with interiors by Harrison Eidsgaard. Total length on water is 197 feet (60 meters), and power comes from dual 22,000 hp MTU engines that take it to a top speed of 37 knots (42.5 mph/68.5 kph). This helps this custom superyacht claim another record, that of being the fastest in the entire Heesen lineup and one of the fastest in the world in this size category.
In short, whoever the mystery buyer of this record-breaking custom superyacht is, they got an excellent deal on it.
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