To be continued
Turkish shipyard, Dunya Yachts announce plans to complete a decade-old superyacht project.
11 February 2021
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Turkish shipyard, Dunya Yachts, have announced a major deal to continue the construction of the Ulucitcan, a 55-metre explorer motor yacht that’s been stuck in limbo for a decade.
At 1200 gross tonnes, the Ulucitcan is the single biggest project taken since 2013’s Axioma, the first superyacht built by the Istanbul-based manufacturer.
Designed to be a global explorer, the vessel, designed by Vripack, has a travel range of 6,000 nautical miles.
Its unfaired hull allows the vessel find place in a yacht marina or a commercial port.
The Ulucitcan’s contemporary interior, conceived by Winch Design, embraces a beach club-inspired aesthetic.
Featuring seven guest cabins, the motor yacht contains a wide array of tenders and toys along the foredeck and will be fitted with a large workshop dedicated to service and maintenance. The vessel will be run by a 12-person crew.
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Construction of the Ulucitcan officially began a decade ago at Newcastle Marine before being halted at a third of its completion following financial constraints within the Florida-based yard.
In 2017, the vessel was transported by the owner to Genoa before being relocated in 2018 to Tunisia’s Hammamet. Lying dormant in the coastal town, Duyna Yachts first inspected the Ulucitcan in August 2019 before ultimately deciding to complete the expansive project.
“This is an exciting contract for the shipyard,” said Dunya Yachts’ Sales and Marketing Director, Jeremy Roche.
“The yacht was at the entrance to the marina, with no passarelle and only accessible by climbing a rope ladder from a tender,” adds Roche.
“All the windows were boarded up and the outside temperature was about 40 [degrees Celsius]. With no [air conditioning], we had to conduct the inspections late at night and very early in the morning – with torches. It was quite an experience!”
Given the Ulucitcan’s state of construction, all main trades have started and progressed to varying degrees. Seven containers worth of equipment related to the Ulucitcan’s initial construction still remain in Florida with Duyna Yachts suggesting plans to ship those containers to Istanbul and complete detailed survey and audit alongside the Ulucitcan itself.
“The owner was looking for a shipyard that would undertake the completion of the yacht, not rebuild her.
“While in Italy, various yards supplied tenders but all were suggesting removal of partially completed items to start again from scratch. Dunya was happy to be more flexible and to work with the owner’s team to find a more sensible solution to complete this yacht. “
The Ulucitcan is currently expected to be delivered in 24 months.
“We’re delighted that [the owner] chose Dunya. Work will start immediately and we look forward to creating what promises to be an exceptional global explorer capable of taking its owner on many exciting expeditions.”
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