BUILDING A BLUE LEGACY
For 20 years, Heysea Yachts has wowed the maritime industry with its exciting and exceptional vessel designs. Now, with a new ten-year plan in place, the company is gearing up to meet the demands of the future with more unique, sustainable developments. VP of International Sales Ice Leng revealed what the company has achieved so far (and what it has planned), during an in-depth interview with Inside Marine. Report by Imogen Ward.
Over the years, Heysea Yachts has developed a prominent name for itself as an innovative and flexible superyacht specialist. Now, having accomplished 20 amazing years in the industry, the company is looking to diversify its capabilities.
“We are already a top tier manufacturer when it comes to luxury and super-sized yachts,” explained VP of International Sales Ice Leng. “But now, we have a desire to build a similar reputation within the catamaran market.”
Founded in 2004, in Hong Kong, Heysea Yachts was created by three experienced
naval architects who had a passion for boat building. Initially, the company was focused on the construction of houseboats. This soon shifted, however, to yachts with the development of the Heysea Line in 2008
Heysea entered the yachting market with 55ft, 60ft and 75ft vessels. The company quickly adapted to build bigge r and bolder models in response to an increasing demand for superyachts.
In 2019, the company built its first catamaran – an achievement that would become the catalyst for an entirely new Heysea adventure.
The ten-year plan
With 2024 a year for celebration, Heysea saw it as an opportunity to look f orward. Following a strategic meeting focused on the company’s next steps, it developed a clearcut ten-year plan filled with innovation, growth and success.
“We put a lot of thought into what we were going to do over the next ten years,” said Mr Leng. “The plan highlights our desire to focus on the international market, the catamaran and power catamaran market, and the transition to renewable fuels.”
The plan will also see Heysea incorporate new energy components in all its future builds. Keen to get started, Heysea has already laid the foundations, including forming a new strategic alliance that is expected to significantly advance its use of electric propulsion.
The new alliance with ePropulsion, the leading innovator of electric onboard motors, was signed last year following three years of successful collaboration
“ePropulsion was one of the first companies to focus on electric propulsion, and it did so effectively,” commented Mr Leng. “Now, under this new official
alliance, we are working together to bring ePropulsion’s technology to the market at a quicker pace. And we hope, through this partnership, we can really advance our presence in the electric catamaran sector.”
According to Mr Leng, although the partnership is still maturing, it has been incredibly successful so far. And as the alliance advances, Heysea hopes to advance from hybrid propulsion to fully electric.
“Heysea is a relatively young company and is seen as quite a late comer to the industry,” added Mr Leng. “However, we truly cherish the opportunities for innovation we have gained along the way. So far, the collaboration with ePropulsion has been an excellent one.”
Taking the first steps
In line with its determination to establish a strong presence within the catamaran market, Heysea has already developed several exciting examples.
Already out and sailing is the company’s Seaview line. Currently featuring two catamarans (the 48 and 56), and designed with sustainability in mind, this line is the epitome of eco-friendly escapades.
When purchasing their catamarans, customers can currently choose from two
dif ferent power systems. The first option involves solar panels or an electric generator and a battery storage system. This runs all the vessel’s electrical appliances and lighting overnight.
The second system is a hybrid, and it relies on diesel to drive an electric generator, which then propels the vessel.
Having already delivered several 48 and 56 catamarans, Heysea’s Seaview line is quickly gaining popularity.
“The Seaview range is designed to be a blue water sailing catamaran capable of global travel, and is becoming a quick favourite, primarily within the Asian market,” said Mr Leng. “However, we are getting an increasing number of enquiries from overseas, especially from the Middle East and USA. With so much interest, we are seriously considering scaling this range up in the future.”
More recently, Heysea brought a new catamaran to the market. The Vista75 is a power catamaran that features solar panels, energy storage and a stronger structure to enable global travel.
“The owner of the first Vista 75 actually cruised it all the way from Hong Kong back to Australia,” explained Mr Leng. “We utilised our experience and superior craftsmanship within the superyacht industry and put it to work on a power cat. The ship was designed to be environmentally friendly, which came with the added bonus of quiet propulsion. This was important to the client as he wanted to be at peace while traveling the world.”
Key collaborations
Having achieved so much in the past two decades, Heysea would not have been able to do it without its hardworking supply chain.
“We have very longstanding relationships with our main suppliers,” said Mr Leng. “We rely on the same chain as European yacht manufacturers, and they are quite pleased to find a really good partner in China. All these companies are helping us to achieve our goals and provide the very best quality yachts and catamarans to our customers.”
As it looks to the future, Heysea will continue to work on its ten-year plan. The company will be divided into two |divisions. By doing so, the company will ensure each area of expertise gets the right amount of attention.
“The first division is the superyacht section, and we intend to maintain what we are already doing in this sector as it is fundamental to our business,” said Mr Leng, in conclusion. “The second sector is, of course, the catamarans, and that includes power and sailing cats. We really want to become a top tier catamaran manufacturer within the next ten years.
“As the second generation of my family to head this business, I am super excited to help progress the company into a future filled greener technology.” n
