Feadship “Breakthrough”: The 119-metre yacht with an open-air cinema in its hull

​“Breakthrough” has a low profile. At 119 metres, she appears smaller than she actually is. You could hardly pay a greater compliment to a mega-yacht. The days when yachts sought to appear both massive and imposing are long gone. This new sense of understatement is all about ensuring that the vessel blends into its natural surroundings rather than dominating them. Yet that is precisely what the designers at RWD have created: an organic marvel spanning 118.8 metres. This is all the more astonishing given that ‘Breakthrough’ is the largest motor yacht ever launched in the Netherlands – albeit with around 30 per cent more volume than its 118-metre-long Feadship sister vessel, ‘Launchpad’.

Key to its sleek appearance is the curve from the raised bow to the main deck. The curve designed to bypass a step – how often have designers varied it? Yet never has it been so beautifully integrated as on ‘Breakthrough’. If one were to describe a wave, one might say that not a single drop of water is out of place. It is caught at the stern by a tumblehome curve; the side walls taper conically and concavely upwards. Furthermore, the extension of the bridge deck elegantly carries the curve aft, again with a striking concave shape, combined with a tapering of the superstructure that resembles the neck of a vase. Nothing is excessive; the forms speak for themselves and require no showy details such as chamfers or fashion plates.

In total, the British designers had 7,242 gross tonnes to work with. The studio’s name is as unpretentious as the design itself. They succeeded in making the steel hull and aluminium superstructure form a single unit, creating a fluid harmony. No distractions desired. The RWD designers integrated the rails – which the crew use to hoist themselves up whilst cleaning the hull – into the top of the almond-shaped window band. A sense of calm is provided by the teak handrails, supported by glass balustrades. The white waterline creates a visual sense of length, whilst the mast, shaped like a shark’s fin, emphasises the verticality.

Anticipating every need and every requirement

The original client had the foresight to entrust the overall design to a single studio. This ensures that the external harmony is carried through to the interior. RWD developed an elegant and understated interior without veering into a minimalist, clinical style. ‘Breakthrough’ was designed to be a soothing platform for exploring the world: a place where every need and every expectation of comfort has been anticipated, and which is based on the following understanding: true luxury lies in being on the water and gathering experiences.

The original usage scenario envisaged family use and extended stays on board. Great importance was attached to the ability to create privacy or quiet spaces for different generations – whilst also providing areas where the whole group can come together. Three fireplaces inside, a fire pit on deck and sliding glass walls that connect or separate the interior and exterior spaces are ideal for cruising in any season and in any sailing area. As one would expect from a seven-deck gigayacht, an entire deck is reserved for the owners. The level above the bridge deck is essentially a two-bedroom apartment with two bathrooms and dressing rooms, a gym and a galley. The office and conference room each feature a fireplace that opens onto the adjoining living room. The master cabin is located at the bow and features floor-to-ceiling sliding glass walls leading out onto a private, covered deck with a whirlpool.

Private staircase for the owner

The owner’s area extends over more than one deck. A completely private vertical corridor for the owner descends as a four-storey atrium down to the lower deck – featuring a spacious staircase lined with bookshelves and alcoves for art displays, as well as a private lift. On each level, special retreats invite you to linger: a coffee bar and snack station on the bridge deck level, a library containing 5,000 hand-picked books from a Dutch antiquarian bookshop on the main deck, and a private dining room with a hull opening serving as a sea-view terrace and an adjoining cabin with an en-suite bathroom on the lower deck. The area at waterline level impresses with its understated elegance and magical setting.

To create a maritime atmosphere, the walls and ceilings are finished in either teak or woven reed. RWD’s design chic evokes the atmosphere of a secluded townhouse at sea – nestled within the largest Feadship in history. The interior exudes understatement. The entrances to the corridors resemble simple wall panelling. Cleverly positioned galleys and crew walkways ensure seamless service. Although the interior exudes a calm, almost neutral colour scheme with warming accents, the colour palette encompasses a wide range of Pantone shades. According to project manager Louwerens Hoving, over a hundred shades of white and cream adorn the rooms and furniture in the form of fabrics or leather. This harmonises, both inside and out, with the almost caramel-coloured teak furniture and details. The variety of materials is complemented by travertine marble, rattan, smoked eucalyptus and limed oak. This sophisticated yet understated interior mix creates the warm atmosphere of a coastal apartment across all seven decks, where curves and circles form the leitmotif.

Particular emphasis is placed on indirect lighting, floor-edge lights and backlit furniture elements. Almost every area features a thoughtfully designed ceiling dome for atmospheric room lighting. On the decks, LED strips concealed beneath built-in furniture and benches emphasise shapes, curves and radii – the dominant circular design motif. To create a harmonious overall look, details such as door panels and corridor handrails repeat their form from deck to deck, whilst varying in material. The beach club is slightly darker, providing a contrast to the bright surroundings on the many terraces.

On the lower deck, aft of the quarters for the 46-strong crew, lies a wellness area that leaves nothing to be desired: a spa, steam room, sauna with plunge pool and a hair and nail salon follow one after the other, before a Dolby Atmos cinema for twelve people rounds off a convivial evening. The space on the fuel deck below can be transformed into a children’s play paradise. A private dining room with direct access to the terrace, as well as a fully equipped infirmary, underline the yacht’s holistic charter offering. Even if it was probably not planned – the original client opted out of the Passenger Yacht Code and thus out of providing up to 36 berths – ‘Breakthrough’ enriches the charter market. Edmiston arranges for up to twelve guests to stay on board for a week, at a cost of 3.5 million euros or more.

Nemo Lounge: An open-air cinema deep in Kiel

The impressive hull width of 19 metres has allowed for spacious side decks in the outdoor areas and generous corridors inside. Not everywhere, though. To reach the Nemo Lounge, one descends a hidden staircase on the port side of the beach club and emerges onto the fuel deck at the rear end of the keel. If you like, down here you enter a natural cinema, whose screens are the almost floor-to-ceiling windows on either side. The six windows, made of double-layered, seven-centimetre-thick special glass, offer unobstructed views of the open sea and the Azipods. It is rumoured that there is a similar underwater room on ‘Sailing Yacht A’; accordingly, the market offers laminated safety glass that has already undergone the necessary certification process.

‘Breakthrough’ also features more hull openings than any previous Feadship: in total, there are fourteen balconies that slide out from the mezzanine decks, and nine hull hatches with seven opening platforms. A louvred roof extends over the majority of these, creating the impression of a pergola. When closed, the balconies are invisible within the hull sides; at the touch of a button, they extend – complete with side railings or glass balustrades – without requiring any crew intervention. When fully extended, the balcony floors are flush with the interior.

Guests move through the ship via dedicated circulation routes: a glass lift on the starboard side, encircled by free-floating staircases, connects the lounge areas on all decks. The guest accommodation is designed to be highly flexible. The bridge deck is occupied by four spacious double cabins, each with its own en-suite bathroom and a balcony that extends from the surrounding side deck. Inside, a long corridor connects the suites to the bridge, the forward helideck – which can be used either as a pickleball or basketball court – and, aft, to the upper saloon, which leads to an outdoor living area with a cosy seating area arranged around a fire pit.

Four VIP cabins on the main deck can be arranged either as a suite with an adjoining living room or divided into eight separate guest quarters – each with its own balcony and bathroom. Large window fronts make the rooms appear bright and open. Here too, as on the owner’s deck, a stone-lined bath is a must in each cabin. In addition, two cabins have been designed for close staff such as a nanny, tutor or bodyguard, one on the main deck and one on the lower deck, each with access to crew areas and staircases.

Charter and test a hydrogen-powered yacht

Another feature likely to attract guests with an interest in technology on board is the propulsion option, which is unique for a large yacht. Developed as Project 821, the ‘Breakthrough’ was built by Feadship as the world’s first superyacht with an integrated Hydrogen fuel cell system, which can also serve as a power source for the electric propulsion pods. Electricity is generated without any combustion process, and the only by-product is water. Provided the liquid hydrogen is ‘green’ – that is, produced using renewable energy – the system emits no local greenhouse gases or other harmful particles. With a total output of three megawatts, the PEM fuel cells from the Swedish PowerCell Group generate a full 30 per cent of the total energy. The remainder is covered by variable-speed diesel generators capable of running on HVO diesel. A battery bank handles peak loads.

A number of yacht builders, such as Lürssen, with “Nausicaä” or Sanlorenzo with the 50Steel, are trialling methanol as an alternative to hydrogen. The advantage is that this fuel does not need to be stored in pressurised tanks at –253 degrees Celsius, but in containers similar to those used for diesel. The disadvantages: due to methanol’s lower energy density compared to diesel, the tanks are around twice as large. Furthermore, methanol must be converted into hydrogen via reformers situated upstream of the fuel cells. If the process is to be entirely emission-free, green methanol is required here too. According to Feadship, the ‘Breakthrough’ is ready for conversion to methanol. Either way, the flagship can cover up to 6,500 nautical miles at 14 knots. The stabilisation system is also enormous: a pair of Kongsberg fins, each with a surface area of 13.45 square metres, keeps the curvaceous, slender giant on course.

Technical specifications of the “Breakthrough”

• ​Overall length: 118.80 m
• Width:19 m
• Draught: 5.25 m
• Gross tonnage: 7,242
• Material: Steel, aluminium
• Engines: 2 x ABB Azipods
• Engine power: 2 × 3,200 kW
• Speed (max.): 17 knots
• Speed (cruising): 14 knots
• Range @ 14 knots: 6,500 sm
• Fuel cells: 16 × 185 kW
• Generators: MTU 2 × 900 kW, 3 × 2,500 kW
• Fuel: 575,000 l
• Water: 185,000 litres
• Design: Feadship De Voogt
• Exterior design: RWD
• Interior design: RWD
• Shipyard: Feadship, 2025
• Charter: Edmiston, €3.5 million per week

Is ‘Breakthrough’ a genuine technical advance, or does a superyacht – despite its hydrogen fuel cells – remain, above all, a symbol of extreme resource consumption? Join the discussion and share your views in the comments.