Heesen has launched the 57-metre full-custom Project Setteesettanta, YN 20857, moving the 920GT aluminium yacht into commissioning ahead of North Sea trials and December delivery.
Heesen has launched the 57-metre full-custom superyacht Project Setteesettanta, marking a major milestone for one of the Dutch shipyard's most distinctive current builds and moving the 920GT aluminium yacht into the final stages of commissioning ahead of sea trials and delivery later this year.
Known internally as YN 20857, Project Setteesettanta was launched from Heesen's facilities in Oss on 22 July 2026. The yacht was commissioned by experienced repeat owners who had previously built with the shipyard, giving Heesen the opportunity to develop a highly customised project around an owner with an established understanding of large-yacht design and operation.
At 57 metres overall with a beam of 11.15 metres and a shallow draft of approximately 2.3 metres, Setteesettanta combines substantial internal volume with the Fast Displacement Hull Form associated with a number of Heesen's aluminium yachts. Her approximately 920GT interior places her among the more voluminous yachts of her length while retaining the relatively shallow draft required for cruising destinations such as the Bahamas.
Exterior design is by Omega Architects, while Cristiano Gatto Design developed the interior. The yacht accommodates 12 guests across six staterooms, with quarters for 13 crew including the captain.
One of the most distinctive features of the project is its deck arrangement. Setteesettanta is the first Heesen yacht to position the wheelhouse on a fourth deck, allowing the level below to become a highly private owners' deck rather than being shared with bridge operations.
The owners have reserved the entire upper deck for their own use, with the master suite positioned forward and designed around panoramic views. A substantial private terrace extends from the accommodation and provides almost 200 square metres of outdoor space, while also functioning as a helipad.
This unusual arrangement creates a clearer separation between owner, guest and operational areas than is normally possible on a yacht of this length. Moving the bridge upwards has also allowed Heesen and Omega Architects to create an observation level above the private accommodation without giving the yacht an excessively tall or heavy profile.
Maintaining that visual balance required careful treatment of the upper works. Omega Architects developed a lightweight mast, while flat Starlink communications panels replace the traditional satellite domes that often add considerable visual mass to a yacht's profile.
The remaining guest accommodation includes a VIP suite forward on the main deck alongside a gym, with four additional cabins — two doubles and two twins — located on the lower deck. An oval staircase links all four decks and forms one of the central architectural elements of the interior.
At the stern, the yacht has been designed around a strong connection with the water. A double staircase surrounds a four-metre infinity pool before descending towards the swimming platform, while the main-deck dining area opens directly onto the aft terrace through large sliding doors.
The yacht's interior was conceived specifically for the owners rather than adapted from an existing production platform. Heesen carried out much of the work internally, including naval architecture and extensive interior joinery produced at its Winterswijk facility. Marble was personally selected by the owners in Verona as part of the detailed material specification.
The launch also reveals the scale of engineering behind a project that, despite being 57 metres rather than one of the industry's largest yachts, incorporates many of the features normally associated with significantly bigger custom builds.
Setteesettanta is powered by two MTU 16V 2000 M72 engines, each producing approximately 1,440kW. Heesen gives the yacht a maximum speed of around 18 knots and a range of approximately 3,900 nautical miles at 12 knots.
The aluminium hull uses the Fast Displacement Hull Form and was tested at the Wolfson Unit in Southampton as part of the development process. The combination of aluminium construction, shallow draft and hull efficiency is intended to provide both performance and access to cruising areas that can be difficult for deeper-draft displacement yachts of comparable volume.
The launch represents an important transition in a project that has been closely followed throughout construction. Hull and superstructure were previously joined before the yacht entered the outfitting phase in Oss, where the technical systems, interior and exterior spaces were progressively completed.
With Setteesettanta now afloat, the project moves into commissioning. The yacht will remain at Heesen's Oss facilities while systems are tested and completed before departing for sea trials in the North Sea later this summer.
Delivery is currently scheduled for the end of December 2026.
The timing means there is still a substantial technical programme ahead before the yacht is formally handed over. Launching is one of the most visible milestones in a superyacht build, but it is not the end of construction. Commissioning, harbour testing, machinery trials, navigation-system checks and sea trials must all be completed before final acceptance by the owners.
For Heesen, Setteesettanta is particularly significant because it demonstrates what the yard can achieve outside its established semi-custom ranges. The company has built a strong business around proven engineering platforms, but projects such as YN 20857 show another side of the shipyard: a fully bespoke yacht developed around an individual owner's requirements.
The return of the owners for a second Heesen project is also important. Repeat clients are relatively uncommon at this level of yacht construction because ownership requirements frequently change significantly between projects, yet they can give a shipyard an opportunity to build on knowledge gained from an earlier yacht.
In Setteesettanta's case, that experience appears to have resulted in a yacht with a particularly strong emphasis on owner privacy, outdoor living and an unconventional distribution of space.
The project is also notable for achieving these features within a 57-metre platform rather than relying simply on greater yacht length. Moving the wheelhouse, dedicating an entire deck to the owners and creating a large private terrace required careful use of the yacht's 920GT volume and four-deck arrangement.
Now that Project Setteesettanta has entered the water, attention will shift from construction to performance. Her forthcoming North Sea trials will provide the first opportunity to validate the yacht's propulsion, handling, noise and vibration levels, systems performance and the characteristics of the Fast Displacement Hull Form under real operating conditions.
Once those stages are complete, the yacht is expected to be delivered to her owners at the end of 2026, bringing to completion one of Heesen's most individual full-custom projects currently under construction.