What do you get when you match a proven offshore ship builder with one of Italy’s finest yacht designers? Rosetti Superyachts’ new 279-foot explorer vessel. The Italian shipyard has built more than 100 offshore commercial vessels since 1925, including one spanning 500 feet. After launching its superyacht division, Rosetti commissioned Tommaso Spadolini to design a range of explorer and bespoke superyachts from 157 to 280 feet.
“Having Tommaso Spadolini as our designer lets us offer a family of custom yachts with a distinctive Italian look,” Fulvio Dodich, chairman of the superyacht division, told RobbReport.com. “At the same time, our yachts have distinct technical advantages that few other shipyards can offer. We’ve built 118 vessels for the most horrendous conditions. That includes boats with Ice Class 1, 2, and 3 hulls.”
The first 279-foot concept is a hybrid expedition/support vessel designed to carry a flotilla of boats and toys, as well as a month’s worth of fuel and supplies, but with yacht-caliber accommodations for the owners and guests. The new Rosetti will also have a dedicated helicopter landing area. It will be powered by MAN diesel engines linked to an innovative Azipod propulsion system by Rolls-Royce that delivers a strong top speed and exceptional fuel performance. Dodich sees the growing trend for explorer yachts fueled by adventurers. “Many of our clients are thinking about leaving the Med and going to areas that they’ve never cruised before,” says Dodich. “They’re talking about areas like the fjords of Norway or Antarctica, remote waters that would require a special type of vessel.”
Dodich, former CEO of yacht builders like Ferretti Group and Sanlorenzo, understands the importance of contemporary interiors and luxurious designs. But he also knows that true expedition yachts require backup systems for redundancy that most superyachts lack. “We have an extraordinary technical competence in our yard that extends across 18 departments,” he says. “Our depth of engineering shows in the vessels that we’ve launched over the last 90 years. Most of them are designed to work 24/7 in the most difficult conditions.”
Rosetti plans to build only about a dozen custom yachts over the next five years, focusing on three different styles. “We’ll have the support vessels, explorer yachts, and traditional superyachts,” says Dodich. “Each will be a custom design. But using the same types of propulsion, for instance, on the support vessels will not only increase the reliability of the vessel but allow us to build them faster. We can have a custom support vessel done within 12 months.”
Owners will also have the choice of bringing in their own designers or using the Spadolini designs that are being developed.
