For more than two years, the offshore supply vessel – originally built in Indonesia – has been undergoing conversion into a private expedition yacht under the supervision of Lloyd Werft. The yacht has now successfully completed its first sea trials.
The 87.9-metre-long explorer yacht “L Symphony” (IMO 9648128) completed a three-day sea trial in the German Bight and off Heligoland last week. The yacht has since returned to the fitting-out quay at Lloyd Werft in Bremerhaven. Over the coming weeks, the final stages of the extensive yacht conversion will be completed there. In addition, the results of the sea trials will be analysed and any remaining issues addressed as necessary. The shipyard has not yet announced an official delivery date for the vessel.
The former Indonesian-built offshore supply vessel has been undergoing conversion into a private expedition yacht under the supervision of Lloyd Werft for over two years. As part of this, the highly seaworthy vessel was fitted with, amongst other things, four additional decks behind the bridgehouse during a construction phase in the covered Lunehalle at Stahlbau-Nord in the fishing harbour.
An offshore supply vessel becomes a yacht
Originally, the red-painted vessel was built in 2015 at ASL Shipyard in Indonesia as a commercial supply vessel for the oil and gas industry. The original design featured a large, open working deck and a high, almost vertical bow, intended for use even in heavy seas. As part of the conversion, the vessel retained the original design of an offshore supply vessel, including the distinctive bow shape. A further two-storey deck was built on top of the original working deck, which now provides storage space for, for example, accompanying watercraft or diving equipment. On both sides of the vessel, stairways recessed into the hull have now been fitted to allow easy access to the watercraft from the ship. The roof of this new superstructure now serves as a helipad.
The new decks directly behind the bridgehouse create additional space for guest cabins and communal areas. Over the past few months, Lloyd Werft, in collaboration with specialist suppliers, has fitted out the “L Symphony” – which has a displacement of around 3,000 tonnes and now features a light, cream-coloured paint scheme – with an interior to superyacht standards.
No information is available as to whether the previous main propulsion system, comprising four Caterpillar diesel-electric engines (3512C) each producing 2,400 PS, has been replaced or optimised. To date, the maximum speed, driven by Azipods, has been stated as 22 kn.
“L Symphony” receives public funding
The refit is a publicly funded project, with the federal and state governments covering almost a quarter of the costs. The eligible costs for the project amount to around €49.6 million.
According to the draft grant notice dated 20 August 2024, the total grant amounts to a maximum of around €12.41 million. In May 2023, Lloyd Werft submitted a funding application to the Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (BAFA), which administers the ‘Innovative Shipbuilding’ funding programme, for the development and construction of a conversion system.
The aim is to put supply vessels – which, for example, are no longer required to supply oil and gas platforms – to new use with the conversion system developed. The conversion system consists of three largely turnkey complete modules (‘Accommodation’, ‘Expedition’ and ‘Partial Electrification’). The retrofitting system will be developed as part of the project and applied industrially for the first time using the former offshore supply vessel ‘L Symphony’ as a test case. The complete modules are to be replicated for subsequent conversions involving similar vessel types. (CE)
