Damen sells second Xplorer 60 new-build for 2028 delivery

Who bought Damen's second Xplorer 60 and why?

Damen Yachting confirmed the sale of the second Xplorer 60 on 15 July 2026 for 2028 delivery, with Alex Heyes of TWW Yachts representing a buyer commissioning her to combine private expedition cruising with the capacity to support scientific research in remote regions.

Damen Yachting confirmed the sale on 15 July with a 2028 delivery on the contract. Alex Heyes of TWW Yachts represented the buyer, the second consecutive Xplorer acquisition the brokerage has handled for the same client. Jorrit Pilaar, commercial executive for EMEA at Damen Yachting, called the sale an endorsement of both the design and the momentum across the wider Xplorer range.

The stated programme is the unusual part. Damen describes a yacht built for an owner intending to go well beyond conventional cruising grounds, combining private adventure with the capacity to facilitate scientific research in remote regions. That brief shapes a build in ways a charter-led one does not, because laboratory space, deck handling gear and endurance all compete for the same volume. The new hull will join the existing fleet under TWW Yachts management.

What are the Damen Xplorer 60's core specifications?

She measures 60.2 metres with an 11.0 metre beam and 1,143 GT on a steel hull and aluminium superstructure, carrying 12 guests and 18 crew, with twin MTU diesels giving 5,000 nautical miles of range at an 11.5-knot cruise and up to 30 days of self-sufficient operation.

The specification is known because the first hull, After You, was delivered from Damen Yachting's Antalya yard in August 2025. LOA: 60.2 m, with an 11.0 m beam, a maximum draught of 3.7 m and a volume of 1,143 GT. The hull is steel and the superstructure aluminium, classed with Lloyd's Register, across three decks.

Accommodation runs to 12 guests and 18 crew in nine crew cabins, a ratio that reflects an operating profile with long distances between service ports. Twin MTU 12V 4000 M65R diesels of 1,513 kW each, 2,029 hp apiece and 3,026 kW in total, give a maximum of 14.5 knots and a cruise of 11.5 knots. Damen quotes 5,000 nautical miles at that cruising speed and up to 30 days of self-sufficient operation.

Who designed the Xplorer 60 and how is her space used?

Azure Yacht Design and Naval Architecture drew the exterior, H2 Yacht Design the interior and Damen Yachting the naval architecture, with a 195 square metre multifunctional space below the helideck that converts between a cabana lounge, a dive and wellness deck, or expedition stowage depending on the owner's programme.

Three credits sit on this boat and they are commonly run together. Azure Yacht Design and Naval Architecture is responsible for the exterior, H2 Yacht Design for the interior, and the naval architecture belongs to Damen Yachting itself. The second hull carries the same pairing as the first.

The guest layout spans three decks and is built around long stays aboard. A forward observation lounge takes 270 degrees of view, the main deck salon and dining area runs to 60 sq m, and a 195 sq m multifunctional area sits below the helideck. That last space is the one that gets configured to the programme, ordered as a cabana lounge, a dive and wellness deck, or stowage for tenders and expedition equipment.

What does the second Xplorer 60 sale say about the explorer-yacht market?

It is the third new-build Damen that TWW Yachts has placed inside twelve months, a sign that explorer demand has held even as new-build queues at custom yards stretch past 2029 and used-tonnage days-on-market lengthen.

For TWW Yachts this is the third new-build Damen placed inside a year. The previous two were the first Xplorer 60, After You, and the 53.25-metre YS53 support vessel Emotional, both sold to the same owner late last year, with the brokerage managing the final stages of both builds. Damen's wider Xplorer fleet already includes the 62-metre Anawa, the 58-metre Pink Shadow and the 77-metre La Datcha.

New-build orders at this size are a cleaner read on confidence than brokerage turnover, because the buyer is funding a three-year commitment with no boat to use in the meantime. Explorer demand has held while days-on-market for used tonnage has stretched. A series platform gives the yard a predictable book and the buyer a defined delivery, which is a large part of why a second hull sold before the first year of operation was out.

Why buy the second hull of a series rather than a custom first hull?

The first Xplorer 60, After You, has been in service since August 2025, so a full season of real operating data existed before the second contract was even signed - a materially lower-risk purchase than commissioning an unproven design.

An explorer buyer is paying for autonomy and reach, and the numbers that sell the boat are range and endurance. A 5,000-mile leg at 11.5 knots and 30 days off the dock open cruising grounds a coastal yacht cannot reach and cut the operating dependence on fuel and provisioning hubs. The 18-berth crew allowance is the other half of that equation, because a yacht working three weeks from the nearest yard has to carry its own engineering capability.

Buying the second hull of a series carries less technical risk than commissioning a first. Hull one has been in service since August 2025, which means a full season of operating data exists before the second contract is even cut in steel. Set against custom queues now running past 2029, a defined 2028 delivery on a validated platform is the trade this class of buyer keeps making.