Photo: Feadship (Composite)
How’s that for a plot twist? A world-famous centibillionaire has taken delivery of his brand new superyacht from luxury yard Feadship, but it’s not the same one that everyone assumed was being built for him.
As per the same reports, that new leisure craft was the 72-meter (236-foot) Project 2024, a three-decker that aimed for a luxury and comfort, performance and efficiency at the same time. It came with a reported price tag of €182 million ($199 million at the current exchange rate) and a 2024 delivery date.
Because this is the kind of details that no respectable shipyard would ever disclose to the press without the owner’s consent, none of the above could be confirmed by Feadship. They wouldn’t have been even if Feadship had been at liberty to do so, because the reports weren’t accurate.
Photo: Feadship
Ortega did take delivery of a brand new superyacht, but it’s not Project 2024. His latest purchase is actually Project 1012, which started construction in 2020 and happens to be Feadship’s first build with a hybrid-electric propulsion certification. It’s also much bigger than the other one, with a total length on water of 92 meters (302 feet).
Project 1012 has been delivered to the owner and is now en route to Malta, where it’s expected to begin its maiden journey, according to one trade publication. It’s now sailing as Drizzle, which is the only confirmation we’re ever going to get of Ortega being the owner – the Spanish billionaire is as famous for his reticence to be a “celebrity” or even a corporate boss as he is for his love of Drizzle-named superyachts.
His previous one, also built by Feadship and delivered in 2012, was sold earlier this year and now goes by Vassa. The new owner is believed to be a Russian businessman, and that probably means it won’t be seen out as much as before.
Photo: Feadship
The new Drizzle comes with a naval architecture by Feadship De Voogt Naval Architects, and exterior and interior design by Sinot Yacht Architecture & Design. It has a classic silhouette with a dramatic, sharp bow, and dark navy hull and white superstructure.
It was designed on a very specific brief that the owner himself had drawn up based on his past experience of yacht ownership. Apparently, he’d asked for “an understated family home” that represented a step up in every way from all his previous yachts. That meant more volume, bigger family-friendly spaces, and more amenities.
Drizzle is also Feadship’s first build to carry full Hybrid Electric Class notation. Propulsion is from two main engines and shaft-driven fixed pitch propellers, with 560 kW electric motors and 1MW of Li-ion batteries. Drizzle can run hotel functions on the electric motors, or navigate at low speeds for short intervals. It might not seem like much in terms of reducing a superyacht’s carbon footprint, but in the grander scheme of things, it’s small things like this that can make a difference.
Specifics about the interiors or other specs have not been revealed. They might never be, unless Drizzle is offered for charter, which is highly unlikely given Ortega’s wealth and obsession with privacy.
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